The Sands of Time
by Cylor
Summary: Time will tell...


**Author's notes:**

-Ranma 1/2 and all related characters are the property of Takahashi Rumiko and Shogakuken, Inc.

-This was one of my earliest fanfics, and was written way back in the latter half of 1996. Some people loved it, others hated it. Either way, here it is.

* * *

A great wind blew past the solitary figure as he looked out over the city below him. He stood on a grassy knoll just outside the city limits; earlier in the day it would have been a crowded picnic spot. Now the area was deserted, but if anyone had been around they would have seen a young man here, about sixteen or seventeen years old. He had dark hair marked by an odd streak of blueish-green in his bangs, and wore an ornate headband. A heavy backpack lay on the ground at his side and he wore a thick, hooded cloak about his shoulders... it gave him an almost Arabian appearance as he gazed out over the city. Even his eyes were unusual. As he watched the town below him, one would've been reminded of the predatory stare of a snake. That is, if anyone had been there to see him.  
Another great gust swept past him, and so absorbed was he in his own thoughts that he wondered briefly if it was merely the wind or if it was time itself howling past him, threatening to drag him away with it as it passed. Ultimately it didn't matter; he was completely indifferent to both of these things.  
So, he thought to himself. This is the area of Tokyo called Nerima. My travels have finally brought me here. He smiled to himself. Are you still alive? he asked a distant memory. It had been such a long, long journey... would it at last come to an end now, or would he continue on and achieve his ultimate goal?  
His smile widening, he repeated the phrase to himself once again. It was such a common expression, yet it meant so much more to him... it had kept him going through his seemingly endless travels, through hundreds of battles against more opponents than he could ever hope to remember. The phrase was his epitaph, his trademark ... his very reason for living.  
"Time will tell."

* * *

**Masterwork Productions presents...  
**

**_Ranma 1/2: The Sands of Time_  
**

**Based on characters created by Rumiko Takahashi  
**

* * *

**Part One: The Messengers Arrive **

* * *

The following afternoon, the clock struck just as it did every other day. And just like every other day, the student body of Furinkan High School exited en masse and made their way toward home. And all of them used the sidewalk except one... just like every other day.  
But today, there was something else. Something different.  
"You're sure quiet today, Ranma," Akane observed as she walked along beside (and slightly below) him. "I don't think I've heard you say a word since we got to school. Even when Miss Hinako yelled at you, you just sat there like a dunce." She turned toward him with a smirk as she thought of invoking the one thing that she knew bothered him. "Cat got your tongue?"  
Ranma continued walking along on the fence, staring up at the sky as if lost in a daydream. "I've had a lot on my mind," he mumbled distractedly.  
Akane blinked in surprise, then turned her head with a haughty snort. "Right, like I'd believe that one." After a moment she turned back and peered skyward, trying to see if Ranma was looking at anything special. Just clouds.  
A little miffed by Ranma's distraction, Akane decided to fight silence with silence. However, she was immediately sabotaged.  
"Hi, Ran-Chan!" Ukyo called out as she caught up with them. As usual she completely ignored Akane, all her attention fixed on her beloved Ran-Chan.  
Who didn't even seem to notice that she was there.  
Well, at least it isn't just me, Akane thought to herself. For some reason the thought was strangely satisfying, although she didn't know why.  
Ukyo blinked, then apparently realized Akane was present and turned toward her as the three continued walking. "What's with him?" she asked, pointing at Ranma, who continued to watch the clouds.  
"Beats me. He's been like this all day," Akane replied cooly. Out of irritation, she turned back to Ranma and tried again. "Hey, dummy, see any CATS up there? Like maybe a Chinese one?"

Just around the next corner, Ryoga thought to himself. It has to be just around the next corner. Just one more turn, and I'll be looking right at Furinkan High School. He had to stop whatever was going to happen from happening! Whatever it was that was going to happen, anyway. But at any rate, Ryoga was sure it had to be Ranma's fault. Because, somehow, everything always turned out to be Ranma's fault.  
Ryoga came around the next corner... and found himself looking down another street, which to him looked exactly the same as all the others. He clenched his fists in frustration. All day he'd been doing this! Ever since early this morning, he'd been running around town trying to find Furinkan High School, ever since he'd seen...  
As Ryoga stood in the street trying desperately to decide what to do next, suddenly he caught the faint sound of a small bell jingling. He turned to try to trace the noise...

As Ranma, Akane and Ukyo continued their walk home (with Akane determinedly ignoring Ranma), they suddenly heard a very loud CRASH! and came to a stop.  
"What was that?" Ukyo wondered aloud. Akane had been concentrating so hard on ignoring Ranma that at first she hadn't even heard anything, but now realized what Ukyo meant.  
"It sounded like it came from up ahead!" Ranma shocked them both by not only making this exclamation, but also by jumping down from the fence and bounding ahead, around a corner and out of sight. Akane and Ukyo hurried to catch up.  
Rounding the bend, they nearly ran into Ranma, who was just standing in the street with a massive bead of sweat slowly making its way down the back of his head. The two girls leaned over to look around him, and immediately saw the source of his chagrin. Shampoo was before them, seated on her bicycle which in turn rested atop Ryoga, who was lying in the middle of the street with the bike's front tire firmly wedged into the middle of his face.  
"Aiyaa..." Shampoo murmured as she peered down at Ryoga. "Stupid Ryoga! If not want get hurt, don't stand in middle of street!"  
It sounded like Ryoga was trying to say something, but the bicycle wheel was impeding his speech. Ranma sighed and walked over to the two.  
"'Scuse me, Shampoo." Ranma lifted the bike off Ryoga's face. "Yo, Ryoga. You okay?" Ryoga's response was to immediately jump up and grab Ranma by the shirt. "Alright, Ranma!" he shouted indignantly. "Now what have you done! It's one thing when you've only got yourself to worry about, but this time you've put Akane in danger too!"  
"Huh?" was Akane's response to hearing her name spoken.  
Ranma glared back at Ryoga. "What the hell are you talking abou--"  
A flash, a glint of light off a metallic surface. Ranma caught a split-second glimpse out of the corner of his eye, and it was all it took to convince him to throw Ryoga out of the way and leap backwards.  
In that instant the shaft of a spear, thrown from an intersecting street, split the low wall behind them as it tore through the spokes of Shampoo's front wheel. The attack left the bike pinned to the wall, and Ranma and Ryoga could only stare at the weapon that passed through the space they both occupied just a moment ago. Overcoming their surprise quickly, Ranma, Ryoga, Shampoo, Ukyo and Akane all jumped up to face their assailant.  
Standing about fifteen feet away was a young man who looked back at them with an air of confidence, even arrogance. He was dressed in samurai get-up similar to what Kuno always walked around in, and held another spear identical to the one thrown at Ranma and company. Whatever his age, he was even larger than Kuno, and his broad, muscular shoulders were evident even through his shirt. His hair was covered by a bandanna that reminded Ranma of his dad, Genma. Behind him Ranma could see two more figures, a boy and girl about their age, of similar build and appearance and both wearing normal school uniforms.  
"I KNEW somebody was watching us! You've been doing it since this morning, haven't you! Okay, who the heck are you?" Ranma demanded as his friends took up a defensive posture. The big guy with the spear answered with a question of his own.  
"Are you Ranma Saotome?" he barked.  
"Who wants to know?" Ranma shot back.  
His opponent took that answer to mean yes, and continued. "Then the rest of you must be... Ryoga Hibiki, Ukyo Kuonji, Akane Tendo, and Shampoo." Ranma gave him a look that said, I'm warning you... and the spear-man sneered but obliged him.  
"Very well, my name is unimportant, but for the record it's Hideaki Goda. We are martial-artists, as you claim to be. We have heard that you're also supposed to be the best in Tokyo, maybe even all of Japan. So, we came down here from Hokkaido to correct this little misunderstanding."  
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Oh, is that so..." he growled.  
Goda abruptly thumped the shaft of his spear on the ground. "Now hear this!" he bellowed. "The Anything-Goes school of martial-arts is at an end! You may call yourselves martial-artists, but we'll see how you fare in true combat. After your group has fallen, we will destroy the Tendo School, and ensure that your bloodline ends here!" He smirked at Ranma one last time.  
"You've been warned."  
With that, the girl behind him threw something into the air, and the sky seemed to go black for a moment. When the air cleared a moment later, the three had vanished.  
"What the heck was that about..." Akane said to nobody in particular. Ukyo started to say something, but was interrupted by Ranma's mad laughter.  
"A challenge, huh! Well, you guys can come any time! It doesn't matter!" He clenched his fists in determination. "There's no WAY I'm gonna lose!"  
"Yeah, yeah, we've heard it a hundred times," Akane muttered as Ranma continued laughing madly. Pulling the spear out of the wall behind them, Ryoga whacked him over the head with it.  
"Ow! Hey, whadja do that for!" Ranma demanded, rubbing his head.  
"Ranma, you idiot!" Ryoga yelled, seething. "Weren't you listening to what he said! This isn't the kind of challenge you're thinking about!"  
"He's got a point, sugar," Ukyo added. "He wasn't just challenging you, he was challenging all of us! And how did that guy know who we were, anyway? I know I'VE never seen any of them before."  
"Yeah Ranma, and he said if we lose they're gonna destroy my house!" Akane barked with her usual absence of tact. "So that means they must also know where it is! Got any bright ideas about that?"  
"What he say about ending bloodline?" Shampoo reminded them.  
"Geez, is that all you're worried about," Ranma said, brushing them off with a wave of his hand. "Well, I can't talk for the rest of you guys, but I'm not worried about how I'LL fare against those punks. And since they know where Akane's house is, we'll just go there and wait for them to show up." He nodded to himself in satisfaction, having covered all the bases.  
"Wait a minute, Ranma. You don't know what's going on!" Ryoga leaned forward, his expression grave. "I was sleeping under the old water tower this morning, when suddenly I awakened with a strange feeling of impending danger!" He began adding body language to his story, and his audience's attention grew rapt. "I jumped up and quickly looked around, sensing that my enemy was near. I heard a sound above me, and when I turned around I was greeted by a terrible sight!" He pointed dramatically for emphasis.  
"Someone had vandalized the water tower while I was asleep!"  
Ranma, Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo all fell on their faces in unison.  
"So what! Who cares about a stupid old water tower!" Ranma yelled in Ryoga's face, grabbing him by the shirt as he jumped back to his feet. "What does that have to do with this challenge?"  
"I WAS GETTING TO THAT!" Ryoga shouted as he pushed Ranma away. "Anyway, as I looked closer, I saw a message written there, for all the world to see! It said that when the sun rose tomorrow, the Tendo school of Anything-Goes martial arts would be no more! I've been running around ever since then, trying to warn you of the danger to Akane and her family." Ryoga hefted the spear. "And it was signed with a symbol ... just like this one." He indicated a strange emblem  
carved into the blade of the spear.  
"Hmmm..." Ranma examined the weapon intently. "Doesn't look familiar to me." Taking hold of the weapon, he balanced it in his hands. "And aside from that, it seems like it's just an ordinary spear." He shrugged. "I dunno, maybe these guys are just a bunch of wanna-be's, tryin' to scare us with a spear and a big speech. I mean we didn't see 'em do anything really special, except for  
that disappearing act of theirs."  
"Well at any rate, I think we'd better go tell my dad that somebody's been going around saying they're going to destroy his house," Akane pointed out. "In the meantime, Shampoo, why don't you show this spear to your great-grandmother? Maybe she'll know something about it that we don't." She took the spear from Ranma and offered it to Shampoo, who tossed her head with a derisive sniff.  
"Shampoo never do favor for Akane! Kids from Hokkaido burn Tendo school to ground, for all I care!"  
"Please, Shampoo? We really need to know more about this..."  
"Okay, Ranma! Shampoo do it right away!" Taking the spear, she jumped on her bike (which was evidently quite durable) and rode off down the street, back the way she came.  
"I've gotta take care of something at my restaraunt, then I'll meet you back at Akane's house!" Ukyo waved back at them as she ran down another street.  
Akane turned to Ryoga with a look of concern. "Ryoga, maybe you should go with her," she suggested. "That way, you'll be there if those guys try to jump us while we're separated."  
Ryoga shook his head. "Akane, now more than ever, I couldn't forgive myself if I left you alone with an unreliable jerk like Ranma!"  
"Hey Ryoga, that reminds me ... what were you doing sleeping underneath a water tower, anyway?" Ranma asked innocently. "Isn't that kinda, y'know, dangerous for you?"  
"And why should Ryoga worry about something like that, Ranma!" Akane threw over her shoulder as she left them behind, heading down the road toward home. "It's not like he needs to worry about getting wet, the way you do!"  
"Oh yeah, silly me, what was I thinking?" Ranma chuckled, giving Ryoga an evil grin. Ryoga ignored him, and trudged down the road after Akane.

As the three passed by the small canal between Furinkan High and the Tendo dojo, he watched them from below. Had he been able to smile right then he would have, for as things were, everything was going to turn out exactly as he'd planned. Just a bit more waiting ... and no one was more patient than he was.

"NOOO! They CAN'T! Not our beautiful house...!" Weeping, Soun Tendo collapsed onto the staircase, hugging the railing. Ranma and Akane had arrived home with Ryoga in tow and delivered the news, and could now only stand there speechless. Akane's father was suffering an emotional breakdown before their very eyes.  
"You know... we should've expected somethin' like this to happen," Ranma pointed out. Akane couldn't argue with him there.  
"Tendo! Get a hold of yourself, man! I'm sure Ranma and Akane will be able to turn away this threat!" Ranma's father Genma hollered as he tried (without much success) to console his lifelong friend.  
"Good grief, Daddy." Ranma, Akane and Ryoga turned to see Akane's older sister Nabiki descending the stairs. "Really, it's not as if our house has never been demolished before," she pointed out. "It happens practically every other day. Besides, Mr. Saotome is right. I'm sure that it's just another one of those 'Dojo Destroyer' fads, and Ranma and Akane will take care of it."  
"Aahhhhh!" Soun and Genma's eyes lit up. "That's right! What a wonderful opportunity! Akane, you and Ranma will stand together to defend the Tendo dojo from this shadowy threat, just as you will carry it ON together!" Soun's tears of anguish had, in a heartbeat, turned to tears of joy. "In fact, we can hold the wedding to celebrate your victory!"  
Moving with a single mind and purpose, Ranma and Akane simultaneously elbowed their respective fathers in the head, knocking them to the floor.  
"Yeah, right." Ranma growled.  
"I'd rather live on the street than marry that pervert!" Akane added.  
Ryoga and Nabiki watched this exchange, Ryoga's expression one of discomfort while Nabiki looked mildly interested by the brief display of violence. Her perpetually bored expression quickly returned, however, and she turned toward Ranma.  
"Oh, by the way, Ranma, some guy was asking about you at school today."  
"Huh? Who?" was Ranma's reply.  
"Some weird-looking guy showed up at school, and asked me about you. I'd never seen him before ... he had dark hair, but his bangs were this weird green color. And he was wearing this fancy headband, and he kind of smelled like..." she paused, sniffing the air briefly. "...Like Ryoga. Other than that, though, I guess he was kind of handsome."  
"What! Hey, are you saying I stink!" Ryoga barked, clenching his fist.  
"Well, let's just say you smell like the outdoors," Ranma said, wanting to keep the subject on track. "Yeah, anyway, go on Nabiki."  
"Where was I? Oh, yes. Anyway, he just popped up out of nowhere at lunchtime and started asking me questions."  
"Like what? What'd he say?" Ranma was practically drooling with anticipation.  
"Well, he asked me if my father was Soun Tendo, and if I knew you, and if Genma Saotome was your father, and if you were the one that was going to inherit the Tendo training hall..."  
"You didn't tell him all that, did you?" Ranma demanded.  
"Of course not!" Nabiki scoffed. "I charged him first."  
Ranma and Akane groaned.  
"So, then what happened...?" Ranma asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.  
"Well, he was pretty free with his money. That was a surprise... from looking at him, you'd never guess he was anything but penniless. Anyway, then he mentioned a few other names, asked about other strong martial-artists in the area... pretty much all friends of yours. And then he disappeared again."  
By this time, Ranma was laid out on the floor, twitching sporadically. "Geez, Nabiki, is there anything about me that you DIDN'T tell that guy?"  
"Well, I didn't tell him that all it takes is a little cold water to send you running to the ladies' room," she threw over her shoulder as she headed back upstairs. She paused, and glanced back at them. "Oh, by the way, I'm expecting company, so, umm... please drag Daddy and Mr. Saotome out of the way."  
"Well, at least now we don't have to wonder how that guy Goda knew so much about all of us," Akane sighed as her sister returned to her room.  
"Yeah, but now we have to worry about this other guy from your school... I didn't see anyone like that on the street today when they attacked us," Ryoga pointed out. "So, how many people are we really dealing with here?"  
The question even aroused Ranma's suspicions.  
Their musing was interrupted by a knock at the door.  
"Oh, that must be Uk-Chan!" Ranma said as he got up. "I'll answer it."  
The three of them were in for a surprise when Ranma pulled the door open a moment later.  
"What the -- Kuno!"  
Kuno's initial reaction was also one of surprise; then his eyes narrowed in hatred. "Saotome..." he hissed, but then stopped and averted his gaze. "I have no business with you today, Ranma Saotome. You are unworthy of my attention."  
"Oh, I feel so cheated," Ranma grated, the sarcasm in his voice pooling deeply at their feet. "Well, if you ain't here to challenge me to a duel for Akane or somethin' like that, then what the heck ARE you doing here!"  
Kuno glowered at him. "I have come here at the request of Nabiki Tendo. This is her residence also, is it not?"  
Ranma's jaw dropped. "YOU'RE the company she was expecting!"  
Kuno gave him a smug look. "You are but an insect to me, Saotome, and one upon which I shall yet trod... but at another time."  
"Oh, hello!" Ranma's biting comeback was cut off by the appearance of Akane's eternally cheerful eldest sister, Kasumi. "Right this way." She led Kuno past Ryoga (who was blushing fiercely for some reason), over the unconcious forms of Soun and Genma, and up the stairs. She returned alone a moment later, and headed back toward the kitchen.  
As soon as all traces of Kuno had disappeared from the room, Akane emerged from her hididng place behind Ryoga. "Is he gone? ...Hey, Ranma, where do you think you're going?"  
Ranma stopped in mid-leap on his way up the stairs. "Hang on, I just wanna check something."  
"You aren't actually going up there to spy on Nabiki and Kuno, are you?" The incredulity in Akane's voice turned the question into an accusation, and Ranma hopped back down the stairs to face her while he defended himself.  
"Hey, I just wanna make sure she isn't sellin' him my clothes, or somethin' sick like that." He glared at Akane, daring her to reply, but just then the door slid open.  
"Hi everybody, we're here," Ukyo announced. Shampoo and her great-grandmother Cologne were with her, and a bespectacled duck followed just behind them, quacking loudly. "Met 'em at the gate," Ukyo said by way of explanation. "Did we miss anything important?"  
"Nabiki sold us all out, and Kuno's upstairs," Ryoga replied.  
"Ranma! Shampoo came back, did just what you say!" Shampoo exclaimed, flinging herself at Ranma. While he and Ukyo attempted to pry her loose, everyone else turned to see what Cologne had to say. She held the spear aloft and cleared her throat.  
"Well, Son-in-law, this is just an ordinary spear, but the mark it bears does indeed say something of your opponents. It used to be the symbol of the most feared school of martial-arts in Asia."  
That got everybody's attention. Cologne continued.  
"The 'Shitsume Strike'... it was a particular art that was practiced mainly by soldiers and mercenaries, because it was designed for use on a battlefield." Her eyes narrowed. "There's no denying that all of you are very skilled in your chosen styles, but... this was a style of fighting that was made to dispatch huge numbers of enemies at a time. It relied heavily on blows that would either cripple, or kill. And not much else. In fact, it could be argued that even the most powerful attacks used by you, Son-in-law, and all the rest of you as well, are simply 'cushioned' variations of these techniques, slightly modified so as to be less lethal."  
"Yet, you keep referring to this fighting style in the past tense," Akane pointed out.  
"That's right, my dear." Cologne acknowledged with a nod. "As far as I had known before today, this school of martial-arts completely died out after World War I. With the advent of advanced weaponry, no one had any need of the ability to walk onto a battlefield and kill an entire army with their bare hands. They could use guns or bombs instead. This skill is one that should be almost completely forgotten by now, and yet here is the emblem of its most dedicated practicioners." She indicated the spear again. "Now, what do you make of it?"  
All eyes turned to Ranma, as if they expected him to answer the question. "Hey, don't look at me! I don't know any more than you do!"  
The duck, meanwhile, doused himself with a conveniently-located kettle of hot water, and suddenly Mousse stood there. "So, then," he began as he wiped his glasses, "It seems that there ARE still some people around who practice this deadly fighting style, and somehow they see the Tendo dojo as a threat or an obstacle to them. And we are the only ones who stand in their way! Shampoo, I swear I'll -- I'll... wha... what are you all staring at?"  
"Stupid Mousse, put clothes on!" Shampoo yelled as she threw a bag at him. He hastily complied, and there was a collective clearing of throats as they attempted to get back to the subject at hand.  
"Well, if these guys are coming here, they might really be dangerous..." Akane stated, sounding concerned. "I hate to say it, Ranma, but we could use all the help we could get... especially since we don't know how many of these guys there are. Maybe we should consider calling in more people... and asking Kuno to stay and help."  
"Great idea, Akane!" Ranma exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "We can use him to prop the front door shut!"  
"This is no laughing matter, Son!" Soun suddenly loomed over Ranma, causing everyone to jump back in shock. "Our HOME is at stake here! YOUR home!"  
"Yaaahh! Take it easy, Mr. Tendo!" Ranma yelled, trying to ward off Soun's demonic visage. Ryoga helped by tossing Ranma into the yard.  
"Don't worry, Mr. Tendo!" Ryoga declared as a loud SPLASH! issued from the direction of Ranma's flight path. "I, Ryoga Hibiki, solemnly swear to defend this house and your dojo with my life!"  
"Shampoo will do whatever it take to protect Ranma!" Shampoo added.  
"You can count on me, too!" Ukyo threw in.  
"Thank you, everyone!" Akane beamed as Ranma came skulking back into the room, water dripping from his now-feminine body. Kasumi entered the room at the same time.  
"Oh, my!" Kasumi exclaimed at the sight of the large crowd gathered in the entreeway. "Ranma, you didn't tell me you were having dinner guests! I'm afraid there won't be enough for everyone!"  
Ignoring her, Ranma walked up to Ryoga. "Take my advice, Ryoga," he growled. "Why don't you do what you do best, and... GET LOST!" He drop-kicked Ryoga through the ceiling, and he disappeared into the sky above them.  
"There, that's one less mouth to feed," Ranma observed as he took advantage of the hot-water kettle to return to his original state.  
"Ranma, you idiot!" Akane hollered. "We needed his help!"  
"Ahhh, we'll get along fine without that jerk," Ranma shot back. "Besides, I'm sure he'll be back sooner or later. He always is."  
Cologne turned back to Ranma. "In the meantime, Son-in-law, I suggest you prepare yourselves for what could be a very dangerous battle indeed." She hopped toward the door on her cane, then paused and looked back one more time. "Shampoo, I'll be at the Nekohanten. Don't disappoint me!"  
"I fight harder than ever before to protect future husband, Great-Grandmother!" Shampoo promised as Cologne departed.  
Ranma turned to the remaining six martial-artists gathered in the entreeway. "Okay, everybody go around and check to make sure nobody can sneak in anywhere and surprise us, and then we'll all meet back out in front."  
Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo, Mousse, Soun and Genma nodded in unison, then all ran off in different directions. Mousse ran into a wall and fell over.  
"Oh dear," Kasumi sighed. "Does this mean I should keep supper warm a while longer?"

Ranma jogged along the roof of the Tendo house, trying to take in as much of the surrounding area as he could. Seeing no immediate threat, he dropped back down and ducked in through the window of the room that he and Genma shared, just to make sure everything was secure inside.  
He glanced around briefly, and almost immediately noticed that something was wrong.  
Something was very wrong indeed.  
"Wha ... hey, what the heck...!"  
Ranma burst out of his room, yelling at the top of his lungs.  
"HEY, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO MY BED!"  
"Did you lose something, Ranma?" a voice behind him asked. Ranma whirled around with a look of shock and confusion in his eyes.  
"Nabiki! Where the hell is my bed!" he demanded.  
"Oh, that." Nabiki shrugged, completely unperturbed. "Kuno took it. He said he simply had to see the bedchamber of his pig-tailed goddess, so I showed him your room. The next thing I knew, he was throwing bills around. There really wasn't anything I could do." She shrugged again, smiling impishly. "I'm terribly sorry, Ranma, but I guess you'll just have to sleep on the floor  
tonight."  
"AAAAARRRGH!" Ranma screamed as he dove out the window. He hit the ground running and caught up with Kuno at the front gate. Sure enough, he was carrying Ranma's futon. "Dammit, Kuno, gimme back my bed!" Ranma shouted as he skidded to a stop a few feet behind him.  
"Saotome?" Kuno turned to face him. "What is the meaning of this?"  
"Gimme back my bed, you sick weirdo!" Ranma yelled again.  
"YOUR bed! But, this..." Kuno's brow furrowed in confusion.  
"That's right, MY BED! You know, the thing I sleep on!" Ranma was losing patience, but stopped when he saw Kuno stiffen.  
"Saotome..." Kuno's voice was shaking with rage and anguish. "You, you... you mean to tell me that you... that you and... and the pig-tailed girl... SHARE THE SAME BEDSHEETS!"  
Ranma nearly jumped back as Kuno looked up at him, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. "YOU INFIDEL!" He screamed, charging at Ranma with his bokken drawn.  
"I, TATEWAKI KUNO, SHALL STRIKE YOU DOWN AND FREE MY PIG-TAILED GODDESS FROM THIS UNHOLY BOND OF SEXUAL SLAVERY--" Fortunately for both Ranma and Kuno, at that moment Ryoga dropped out of the sky. He landed directly on Kuno's head, and they both collapsed in a heap. Ranma simply stood there scratching his head, trying to decide how to get his bed out from under them.  
His thoughts were interrupted by Ukyo's voice. "Ran-Chan, look out!"  
Ranma glanced up and his own eyes widened.  
Hideaki Goda stood just inside the front gate, not ten feet away. He wasn't alone, either. Just behind him stood the boy-girl pair that had accompanied him earlier, along with four others.  
The first was a boy who looked a little younger than Ranma, but brandished a genuine katana blade with an air of utter confidence. In addition, he wore an authentic samurai breastplate.  
The second was another girl, who wore her hair in a style that was strikingly similar to the way that Akane used to wear hers when it was long. She wore a midnight-blue karate gi, and scowled at Ranma and his friends.  
The third was a very mean-looking martial-artist who Ranma estimated to be a bit older than himself. His hair hung about his face, and he had a pair of vertical scars beneath each eye. He wore a dirty gray karate gi, with the sleeves torn off.  
The fourth was a very large man who loomed over even Goda, being nearly the same height as the Dojo Destroyer. His tremendous size made it difficult to guess his age.  
By this time, Ranma's allies had all assembled in the yard and the two groups faced off, while Kasumi and Nabiki watched from the doorway. As Ranma sized up their opponents, he noted that none of them had any green hair. Which meant there was probably at least one more lurking around somewhere.  
Goda was apparently sizing up Ranma's group as well. His haughty smirk didn't fade as his eyes flicked over each of them briefly. "Well, Ranma Saotome, you certainly look prepared." He chuckled. "But how long can you all really last, in a battle where a single blow landed will mean death?"  
Ranma laughed openly at the threat, as Kuno and Ryoga untangled themselves and faced the enemy. "I'd worry about bein' able to LAND that blow before I start talkin' if I were you, pal!" Ranma grinned at Goda. "Good luck, an' all that stuff."  
"Great idea, Ranma." Akane muttered sarcastically. "Let's make them nice and mad first. That'll really help things."  
"Shut up, I know what I'm doing!" Ranma growled back.  
"Hey, save your fight 'till AFTER we beat these guys, 'cause here they come!" Ukyo interrupted as Goda lowered his spear and his entire group leapt into the Tendos' yard.  
"I don't think WE'RE the ones who'll be needing luck in THIS fight!" Goda shouted, his sneer twisted into a grimace as he charged at Ranma, who dodged him easily and the combatants scattered. Half a dozen fights broke out at once.

Shampoo dodged off to the side, and saw the uniform-clad twins select her as their target. They must be siblings, she thought; not only do they resemble each other physically, they move alike too. Then the boy lunged in low, while the girl jumped overhead and scattered some kind of powder into the air. Shampoo instinctively sucked in her breath and held it as the cloud enveloped  
her, but whatever it was, it was so potent that it still stung her skin and made her eyes water heavily. They were definitely playing for keeps!  
As if to reinforce her thought, just then the male half of the team charged out of the powdery cloud at her, and Shampoo saw something metallic flash in his hand. She met him with a left-handed mace mace blow to the head, and as he veered off course she spun around and pummeled him with a succession of body-blows. He staggered past, but then a whip-like cord snapped out of the cloud. Shampoo spun out of its path just in time, but it snagged one of her mace-balls. She tried to use it to pull her opponent toward her, but the girl flicked her wrist and Shampoo's weapon was sliced to pieces! Her whip was made of razor-wire!  
As Shampoo backed off and planned her next move, suddenly a mass of chains swung up and wrapped around her enemy from below. Not surprisingly, it was Mousse, and the girl with the razor-whip was completely entangled in his trap.  
"Leave Shampoo alone, you jerk! How dare you attack her with such a weapon!" he yelled as he swung her around and slammed her into, and then through, the wall surrounding the Tendos' property. That done, Mousse retracted his chains to wherever it is that he keeps them, then looked around angrily. "Now, where'd his sister go!"  
"You just throw her through wall, stupid," Shampoo pointed out in disgust.

Meanwhile, a few yards away, Kuno and the armored boy locked swords.  
"What is this!" the boy laughed. "You come into a life-or-death duel with only a bokken! What manner of fool are you?"  
Kuno not only matched the boy's arrogance, he exceeded it. "The true fool is not I, but he who trusts his weapon more than he trusts himself! The blade has not been forged which can overcome the rising young star of the high school Kendo world! And you, insolent whelp ... I shall defeat, to preserve the honor of Akane Tendo!" He shoved his younger opponent away.  
The youth regained his balance immediately, and readied his sword. "We'll see about that!" He charged at Kuno.  
"Don't forget, Kuno," Nabiki called from the doorway, "If you lose this fight WE'LL be out of a home!"  
"Silence, Nabiki Tendo!" Kuno snapped, turning toward her. "Do you seek to disrupt my concentration!"  
As Kuno turned, the boy's sword sliced through the air where Kuno's head had been a moment before.  
"Why yes, Kuno-Baby, that's exactly what I meant to do," Nabiki replied.  
"An opening!" Kuno lunged forward before his opponent could regain his balance and caught him with a blow to the midsection. However, his bokken glanced off the boy's armor, leaving him unharmed.  
"You'll have to do better than that!" The youth countered with a wide slash as he turned around. Kuno turned away to avoid being skewered, but the blade sliced through his shirt and drew blood. The two combatants circled each other.  
"For the unforgivable crime of injuring my body," Kuno growled, "I shall batter thee without mercy, until you cry out for hell itself to release you from your torment!" He lunged forward and swung low.  
His young adversary grinned and jumped over the swing, then came down with a diving kick. Kuno brought his bokken around and blocked the attack, then countered with his infamous hundred-sword-strike as the boy landed. He brought up his sword to resist the virtual wall of strikes from Kuno, and managed to hold him back although the force of the attack drove him backwards a bit.  
As the dust cleared, the two swordsmen grinned at each other.  
Then the boy's sword shattered into a dozen fragments.  
"What the..." he could only stare at the remnants of his weapon in shock. With a battle cry, Kuno spun around and delivered a final blow to the youth's chest. His breastplate shattered, and he was sent sprawling to the ground a few feet away.  
Kuno straightened and struck a pose. "And so do all who challenge me learn... that it is inconceivable to best in combat, one who is possessed of so eloquent a spirit as is my own." He chuckled to himself, then broke down and, to the disgust of those watching, began laughing maniacally.

Ukyo jumped back to avoid the blue-clad girl's initial diving kick, then came back with a downward swing of her giant spatula. The girl twisted to the side, avoiding the blow by inches. Then, in a surprising move, she stomped down on the spatula's handle, knocking it from Ukyo's grasp. She followed up with a punch aimed at Ukyo's gut, which she barely deflected and then jumped back to try and bring her throwing spatulas into play. Her opponent was relentless and  
charged at her, but was suddenly knocked to the side by a flying elbow from Akane.  
The girl in the blue gi turned and found Akane facing her, in her best defensive stance. A brief change of opponents didn't seem to bother her, and she immediately let loose with a snap kick aimed at Akane's neck. Akane raised her hand and managed to block the kick, but a fierce pain shot up her arm and she staggered to the side. The girl pressed her attack and followed up, going  
for a mid-kick. Akane was left completely open and, seeing the kick, expected broken ribs in a moment. She braced herself, but the blow never came. There was, however, a loud CLANG!  
Looking up, Akane saw that Ukyo had recovered her spatula and stepped in, blocking the girl's attack. She hopped back away from them, apparently to decide on what to do next. Akane noticed she was favoring her left leg slightly after kicking Ukyo's spatula.  
Ukyo gave Akane a sideways glance. "Ready, Akane?" She nodded.  
At once, Ukyo reached into her shirt and came out with a bag of flour, which she flung at their enemy's feet. The girl disappeared in a white, powdery cloud. Then Ukyo dove in at her from the side, swinging her spatula with all her might.  
Again there was the loud CLANG! of the spatula finding its target, and the girl flew out the flour-cloud straight at Akane. Akane was ready and met her first with a knee, then an uppercut, and she fell to the ground.  
The cloud of flour dissipated, and Akane looked at Ukyo. "Um ... thanks, Ukyo," she said, feeling a little awkward about it. "I guess I owe you one."  
Ukyo smiled back at her. "Hey, as long as we won, that's all that counts!" she replied.

"Come, Saotome! Let's teach this boy some respect!" Soun rallied his friend as he faced their gigantic adversary.  
"Right behind you, Tendo!" Genma joined him, and they glared up at the giant. The giant glared right back, then took a step toward them.  
"Stop right there!" Soun shouted, pointing for emphasis. The giant answered with a downward punch at the two. Soun and Genma leaped out of the way, and the giant's fist plowed into the stone walkway that lead from the front gate to the house.  
"It seems he means business, Tendo! Let's show him our combined fury!" Genma hollered.  
Soun and Genma leaped into the air and simultaneaously kicked their enemy. This knocked him all of about two inches backwards, and with a hearty laugh he swatted Genma away. He flew over the house and landed in the pond around the side.  
"Saotome! How could you abandon me like that!" Soun wept, collapsing at the giant's feet. Still laughing, the giant reared back to step on him.  
Suddenly, a large panda came barrelling around the side of the house. He plowed headfirst into the giant, and with the added body mass his panda form afforded him, Genma knocked him off balance and he fell over. Soun didn't notice as he was too busy weeping in anguish.  
"Oh, Father. Father, Father..." Kasumi sighed, shaking her head.  
The giant quickly righted himself, although he seemed confused to have suddenly been attacked by a panda. "What the hell..." he muttered.  
Genma held up a wooden sign. It read, 'I won't be defeated that easily! Now, you must face my true strength!'  
"Huh?" The giant scratched his head.  
'PANDA KICK!' Genma's sign read as he executed said maneuver. He flew at the befuddled giant and kicked him in the groin, then bashed him over the head with his sign. The giant was quite dazed after this, and Genma produced a rubber tire and jammed it over his head. Then he drop-kicked the giant, and he bounced out the front gate.  
Grinning broadly, the panda held up a sign reading, 'And stay out!'

Ryoga and the scarred martial-artist circled each other slowly, each scowling darkly at the other. "I won't allow you to desecrate these grounds," Ryoga told him. He stopped circling and looked his opponent in the eye. "If you leave now, I won't follow you."  
"Shut up and fight, you simpering coward!" the scarred one snarled as he dove at Ryoga, who avoided his first swing. The second lightning-fast punch, however, caught him right across the face. That was followed by a succession of body blows, and as he pummeled Ryoga the scarred martial-artist yelled, "The only way this fight will end is with your death! I could've killed you with  
the second hit if I wanted to, but I thought you should be taught a lesson first!" He finished his dozen-hit combo with a roundhouse kick to the head, intended to knock Ryoga to the ground at his right.  
However, it hadn't moved him at all.  
Ryoga wiped the blood off his lip and glared up at the scarred one. "Is that right?" he asked.  
His enemy was struck completely speechless, so Ryoga filled the silence with the sound of rushing air as he slammed his fist into the man's gut. Then he grabbed him in a crushing grip. "You've threatened Akane and her family," Ryoga told him, "And for that, I can't forgive you!"  
With that Ryoga jumped into the air and performed a suplex maneuver, smashing his opponent into the ground with tremendous force. They rolled away from each other after the impact, and each one came to a crouching position.  
"Well met, kid..." the scarred one admitted. "I guess I underestimated you. But try this on!" He flattened his hand and plunged it into the grass before him, sending a deadly mass of rock and earth surging through the ground at Ryoga.  
Who was ready for it. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" With his 'breaking point' technique, Ryoga shattered the ground mass, showering them both with debris. The scarred martial-artist wasn't expecting this, and was momentarily blinded by the flying dirt and bits of rock. When he recovered, the first thing he saw was Ryoga charging at him.  
Before his enemy had a chance to recover, Ryoga rushed him and delivered a decisive blow with his heavy-weight umbrella. The scarred martial-artist was knocked halfway across the yard, and the fight was over.

"Y'know," Ranma said as Goda's spear whistled past him, "You've swung that thing at me about fifteen times now, and you haven't hit me yet. Whaddya think that means?" Goda stabbed at him again, and Ranma vaulted upward and landed atop the wall surrounding the Tendo house.  
Goda glared up at him. "I think it means that you're a coward, who's too afraid to face me in a real fight!"  
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Oh, is that so..." With that, he leaped from the wall and hurtled down at Goda with a diving kick. "C'mon then, let's fight!"  
Goda jumped back and drove his spear at Ranma again. Ranma sidestepped the lunge, but Goda anticipated it this time and twisted the spear sideways, knocking Ranma through the air and into the Tendos' pond.  
As he moved in for the kill, Goda looked considerably surprised when a red-haired girl emerged from the pond that Ranma had just fallen into. "What? Where is Ranma Saotome!" he demanded.  
"Boy, you're even dumber than you look!" Ranma yelled as he grabbed the end of the spear and used it to fling Goda into the house. There was a loud crash from inside, and Ranma hopped up the steps to face his enemy when he emerged.  
And emerge he did, looking slightly bewildered but still determined. He leveled his spear at Ranma. "I don't know who you are... but if you defend the Tendo Dojo, you are also my enemy! Prepare to die!"  
He began an elaborate motion with his spear, and Ranma stepped back to anticipate his next attack. However, their face-off was suddenly interrupted by a voice.  
"Hey, what's going on out here! Who interrupted my TV show!"  
Ranma and Goda both stopped, and looked down. Standing next to Goda and glaring up at him was Happosai, looking very irate. "You wrecked the reception right when the bathouse scene was coming up!"  
"Stay out of the way, old man!" Goda barked, completely unaware of what he was facing. "This is a duel for the future of the Anything-Goes school of martial-arts, and if you interfere I'll be forced to cut short your remaining time in this world!"  
Happosai's eyes bulged. "What insolence! Show some respect for your elders, you punk!"  
"You have forced my hand!" Goda declared as he swatted at Happosai.  
Ranma had to admit that, despite himself, he immensely enjoyed seeing Happosai catch Goda's boot with his pipe and fling him against the far wall of the Tendos' yard. The wall cracked as Goda collided with it, and he hung there for a moment before falling off and slumping to the ground.  
Ranma approached his fallen adversary, who was shaking himself off and struggling to his feet. Ranma heard him muttering something along the lines of, "Impossible! Can it be, that old man is the one who..."  
"Who just trashed your sorry butt? Yup, he is!" Ranma interrupted him, grinning from ear to ear. "So, do you give up yet?"  
Goda snarled fiercely at him. "I will NEVER admit defeat!"  
Ranma shrugged. "Fine, have it your way. KATSU TENSHIN AMAGOURIKEN!"  
Ranma lashed out and struck Goda with over a hundred blows in the space of one second. With a look of utter shock on his face, he groaned and fell to his knees.  
Ranma sighed, crossing his arms. "That's what ya get, you jerk!"

A few moments later, Ranma and his allies had all assembled at the front of the yard. Hideaki Goda and his companions knelt before them, their heads bowed in defeat.  
"Well, then," Ranma said, having changed back to his male form, as he glowered at them sternly. "What've you guys got to say for yourselves?"  
There was no response.  
Soun stepped forward. "All right, enough of this. Tell us why you threatened our dojo!" he demanded. "What have we done to deserve such a hateful attack!"  
"Yeah, we've never even met any of you before!" Akane added, clutching her injured wrist. It was still very painful.  
Slowly, Goda looked up at them. There was a hollow look in his eyes.  
"We... we have been... defeated." He averted his gaze for a moment, then suddenly looked back at them, his eyes wide.  
"WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF THIS WORLD!" he shouted, suddenly drawing a dagger.  
Ranma jumped in front of Akane and everyone took up a defensive posture, but then Genma grabbed Ranma's shoulder.  
"Ranma, wait! Their position, it's--"  
Before he could finish, Goda abruptly reversed the dagger and drove it into his own abdomen.  
"NO! WAIT!" Ranma shouted, but he was too late.  
All of Goda's companions simultaneously followed his lead, and within moments the grass was stained red with blood.  
Akane gasped in horror. Everyone present was too stunned to even speak.  
As Ranma looked on in shock, Goda's dagger fell from his now-lifeless hand, and made a clapping sound as it clattered on the stone walkway. It bounced once, twice, then lay flat.  
But the clapping continued.  
Wrenching his eyes away from the terrible sight before him, Ranma sought but the source of the noise. The others followed his lead a moment later, and discovered that they had another visitor.  
A young man stood atop the wall to their left, slowly clapping his hands. He wore a heavy cloak and leather gloves, and through his strange blue-green forelocks they could see that he also wore an ornate headband of some kind. Ranma shot Nabiki a look, and she nodded briefly as if to say, 'That's him.'  
"Hey, you!" Ranma shouted, turning back to the newcomer. "Are you the one who sent these guys here! Answer me!"  
The young man shifted his gaze to Ranma, who nearly shuddered at his glance; it was like the gaze of a snake, or some other reptile. He chuckled briefly, then spoke.  
"It would appear I didn't train them quite as well as they thought I had," he observed, indicating the bodies on the walkway. "But, at least they followed my instructions in their entirety."  
"WHAT! What the hell are you talking about!" Ranma demanded. The young man hopped down off the wall and casually walked toward the house, ignoring the fact that everyone took up defensive stances as he neared.  
"This IS the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial-Arts, isn't it?" he asked, ignoring Ranma's question. His gaze flicked over the group appraisingly, then stopped. "Well, well..." he murmured, staring past Ranma and Akane. "So nice to see you again, old friend."  
"What? The old lech?" Ranma turned to follow his gaze, and sure enough, he was looking directly at Happosai.  
Who abruptly gasped, clutching at his chest. The group parted a bit to give him some room, and the ancient martial-arts master fell to the ground!  
Ranma snorted in disgust. "Ha, nice try, old man. Gonna tell us what'cha did this time?" He looked down to get a better view, and was surprised to see Happosai gasping and writhing in pain.  
"Ranma ... I don't think he's faking it!" Akane exclaimed. "Kasumi, quick! Call an ambulance!"  
As Kasumi ran back into the house, Akane tried to tend to Happosai as best she could. The fact that he didn't start grabbing at her immediately told her there was definitely something wrong.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of quiet laughter.  
Ranma and company turned back to the young man, who was chuckling to himself.  
"Well, Happosai," he said, "I'm touched that you remember me. Although, I didn't expect quite that kind of reaction, but... ah, well. I suppose, at your age, things will happen. I do hope you'll live long enough for us to talk again later." He turned to Ranma and addressed him directly for the first time. "As for you... you would be Ranma Saotome, correct?"  
Ranma just scowled at him. "Who the heck are you!" he shouted back.  
Their visitor smiled slightly. "My name," he replied, "is Tatsunada Fushin. And, since you are the lone successor of the Anything-Goes school of martial-arts, you and I have a great deal to discuss." His eyes narrowed. "But it'll have to wait 'till later. I'll see you soon, and don't worry... I'm a very patient man." He grinned at them -- in a very disturbing way, though no one could quite say how -- and vaulted back over the wall and out of sight. As he disappeared, an ambulence pulled up to the front gate. Two men emerged with a stretcher, but stopped short when they saw all the bodies lying around.  
Ukyo ran over to try to explain things, and Ranma got up to follow Tatsunada Fushin, but as he did so Happosai grabbed his arm, startling him.  
"Ranma..." he hissed, "...No matter what happens... don't let your guard down for even a second!" He stared intently into Ranma's eyes. "Not... even... for a second!" He coughed, then looked back at Ranma. "I'll... tell you more... later."  
With that, he flopped back down to the ground. The paramedics quickly loaded him into the ambulance, and Kuno rode along so his injuries could be examined. Soun went back inside to call the morgue, so they could come and pick up their unfortunate enemies.  
"Ranma..." Akane called to him as he watched them leave. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "What's gonna happen now?" she asked him, concern evident in her voice. Ranma shook his head, then noticed the way she was holding her left arm.  
"Hey, what happened?" he asked, pointing.  
"Oh, this..." Akane managed a weak smile. "I blocked that girl's kick, but it still hurts..."  
"C'mon." Ranma grabbed her other arm and led her out the gate before she could protest. "Let's go have Dr. Tofu take a look at it."  
As they walked to Dr. Tofu's clinic, Ranma's thoughts were troubled. Mainly because he had never seen quite that same look in Happosai's eyes before, when he saw Tatsunada Fushin.  
Was it... fear?

* * *

**Part Two: The Terrible Curse **

* * *

"Well, Akane," Dr. Tofu sighed as he examined Akane's wrist, "It's just as I suspected at first. Your wrist is broken. Oh, it's not broken that badly -- in fact, it should heal within a couple weeks -- but, it is broken. How'd it happen, anyway?" He looked at her with concern as he fit a sturdy brace on.  
"Well, you see..." Akane began, but then stopped. Her mind flashed back to her opponent in the fight just over an hour ago -- quite a brave girl to take on both her and Ukyo at once, and a fierce fighter. Now she was dead, having commited seppoku along with her friends after their defeat. Despite the fact that her kick, which Akane now knew had broken her wrist, had originally been aimed at her neck... Akane couldn't help but feel bad about it. She'd never imagined that anyone would actually do such a thing over a stupid fight.  
"Akane...?" With a start, Akane realized she hadn't answered Dr. Tofu. She looked at him, and saw the concern in his eyes deepen. Those beautiful eyes...  
"Akane," Tofu was saying, "Don't tell me that Ranma had anything to do with..."  
"Oh, no! Nothing like that," Akane laughed, putting on her best cheerful face. "I guess I just, um, pushed myself a little too hard. Besides, you don't really think I'd ever let that idiot do something like THIS to me, do you?"  
They both laughed, and Dr. Tofu smiled. "Well, I'm glad it's nothing serious. Just the same, you'd better be more careful!"  
"I will, Dr. Tofu! Thank you!" Akane waved as she left his office after he'd finished with the cast. "I'll tell Kasumi you said hi." She quickly left to avoid seeing what his reaction to her last comment would be. Returning to the waiting room, she saw Ranma abruptly stop pacing when he saw her.  
"Akane! So, uhh, how's your, y'know, your arm." he asked as casually as he could.  
"It'll be okay, Ranma. It WAS broken, though." she replied.  
"Wow." Ranma looked a little surprised. "And you said you just blocked that girl's kick with it, huh? I guess those guys were dangerous after all. It's a good thing nobody else got hurt, except Kuno."  
"Oh, no! Is he okay?" Akane asked, sounding genuinely worried.  
"They didn't say nothin' about it, but it didn't look too bad to me," Ranma replied as they left the clinic and began walking home. Any other day, Ranma would've taunted Akane mercilessly for worrying about Kuno, but today was different. He had other things to worry about.  
And Akane chose that moment to mention the most troubling thing of all.  
"Um, Ranma?" she began quietly as they walked. Ranma was walking alongside her on the sidewalk for a change, instead of up on the fence like he usually did, so he had no trouble hearing her speak in such a low tone.  
"Hmmm?" was his reply.  
"What if ... well, I know we've all wished Happosai would die -- prayed for something terrible to happen to him, even -- but, well... what if he really does die?"  
"HA!" Ranma's response was so callous it even shocked Akane. "I'll TELL you what! If that old freak buys the farm, then you won't have to keep your underwear locked up, and neither will any OTHER girl in Japan, and our fathers would stop acting like such a pair of spineless worms, and we won't have to sneak around, trying not to make him mad or nothin' while HE wrecks our lives, and you won't have to wear a bathing suit to go to the public baths, and..."  
Ranma trailed off into silence as he noticed Akane wasn't walking with him. He looked back to see her standing about four steps behind him.  
"Damn it, Ranma!" she cried. "I'm SERIOUS! What if he DIES!" She averted her face when she saw his expression. "I mean, yeah, I hate that old pervert just as much as you do, but... I don't really want to see him die! I never really MEANT it!" She turned away, not wanting Ranma to see her shed tears over Happosai.  
Geez, Ranma thought to himself, could she really be that upset over the old freak? Walking up behind Akane, he touched her shoulder.  
"Hey, listen, Akane," he said, "There's no way that old lech'll die from somethin' as little as this." He grinned at her. "We're not that lucky!"  
Akane actually laughed at that. Hastily wiping her eyes, she showed Ranma a smile. "Yeah, you're right... we're not that lucky, are we."  
They continued walking in silence for a moment, both feeling a little better. Then Ranma spoke.  
"But, there's somethin' else that's buggin' me... just exactly who the heck is that Tatsu-whatever-his-name-is guy? If I didn't know better... I'd say the old freak was actually scared of him!"  
Akane scoffed. "That's impossible, Ranma! YOU can't even beat Happosai -- and that guy couldn't have been any older than you are. I bet the old man just cheated him at cards or something like that, and he's trying to get out of having to pay him back. Or maybe he stole his sister's panties. Yeah, I bet that's what it is. He's trying to avenge his sister's underwear." Akane  
chuckled at her own joke.  
"I dunno." Ranma walked in silence for nearly a minute, then spoke up again. "Akane, don't ever tell nobody I said this, but... when that guy looked at me, it really gave me the creeps."  
Akane was silent.  
"Plus, whoever he is, he seems really interested in the dojo, too," Ranma added. "I'm sure he'll come back. And when he does... I'll be ready!"

A short while later, Ranma and Akane arrived back at the Tendo residence and were surprised to see that everyone, except Happosai and Kuno, was still here. The bodies had all been picked up, although their blood still stained the grass inside the front gate.  
"Where Ranma take Akane!" Shampoo demanded before anyone else had a chance to say anything.  
"Yeah, Honey, where DID you go?" Ukyo asked, her pleasant voice carrying a threatening undertone.  
"Hey, calm down, you guys!" Ranma said, holding up his hands to ward off their impending attack. "We just went to see Dr. Tofu."  
"I see he had a present for Akane," Nabiki observed, pointing to the cast on Akane's left hand.  
"Oh, dear!" Kasumi exclaimed. "Akane, are you all right? Does it hurt very much?"  
"I'm fine, Kasumi, really!" Akane assured her, embarassed at being fussed over. "Dr. Tofu said it'd heal within a couple of weeks."  
"Wow, that was quite a kick! I'm surprised she didn't dent my spatula," Ukyo commented.  
"All right, Ranma." Ryoga turned to him with an accusing stare. "What do you intend to do about this new enemy, who can even strike fear into the heart of the most evil martial-artist in Japan!"  
Ranma waved his hand dismissively. "Ahh, he ain't so tough. I can take him, easy."  
In the next moment Ryoga was on Ranma and had him by the shirt, shaking him violently. "YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THAT GUY FIGHT YET, YOU IDIOT!" he yelled. "HOW CAN YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"  
Ranma drove a knee into Ryoga's chin, then proceeded to pound him into the dirt. Dusting his hands off, he breathed a heavy sigh. "Well, at least I know I have a better chance than YOU do, you jerk!"  
Just then, Akane noticed something. "Hey, wait a minute... where are Dad and Mr. Saotome?"  
Nabiki jerked a thumb in the direction of the dojo. "In there, embarassing themselves. If that's still possible, that is."  
Everyone stopped and listened, and doing so found that they could hear what sounded like singing emanating from the dojo. Peering through the evening twilight, Ranma could make out a large pile of empty bottles outside the door.  
"Ho boy," he muttered.  
"Oh, Father." Kasumi sighed, shaking her head. "Father, Father..."  
Mousse adjusted his glasses. "I guess they just don't care that they might still be in danger," he observed.  
As everyone looked at the dojo with varying expressions of disgust, embarassment and wonder, Nabiki clapped her hands. "Okay, people. The Tendo household is shutting down for the night, so all non-residents must now be on their way." She herded Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo and Ryoga toward the door.  
"Aiyaa! You just throw us out on street, then!" Shampoo protested.  
"You have homes," Nabiki pointed out. "I suggest you make use of them. I'm sure we'll see you all tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day, and the day after that, and the following day after THAT one, and--"  
"But, Wait!" Ukyo exclaimed. "That sign that Ryoga saw! Didn't it say that when the sun rose tomorrow, the Tendo school would be destroyed!"  
Nabiki gave her a dead stare, then cleared her throat. "All right, in that case, we'll see you tomorrow -- assuming that our home hasn't been leveled by then." The gate slammed shut.  
Sulking, Shampoo stomped down the street toward the Nekohanten. Ukyo stood fuming at the gate, while Ryoga and Mousse remained next to her for lack of anywhere else to go.  
"Ranma, you stupid jackass!" Ukyo shouted at the gate. "You'd better not try to fight that guy by yourself!" Furious, she stormed off down the street in the direction of her restaraunt.  
Ryoga stood staring at the gate for about a minute longer, then sat down with his back to it. Akane, he told her silently, the others may go, but I will remain here all night, and make sure that you won't come to harm.  
Mousse stood there for several minutes, looking at him strangely. Finally he spoke up.  
"Aren't we going to go back, Shampoo? Your great-grandmother--"  
"I'M NOT SHAMPOO, YOU BLIND FOOL!" Ryoga shouted as he hurled Mousse in the direction of the Nekohanten. That done, he sat back down and tried to regain his dignity.  
And so he sat with his back propped against the outer wall, staring up at the stars above and listening for the slightest sound. About twenty minutes passed before he heard a noise.  
"Ryoga!" someone whispered.  
Instantly Ryoga was on his feet, looking around intently for the source of the noise.  
"Ryoga!"  
His umbrella at the ready, Ryoga looked up and down the street. No movement, as far as his eyes could see.  
"Ryoga! Look up, you dummy!"  
Ryoga looked up to see Ranma peering at him over the wall. "Ranma!" he snapped. "What do YOU want!"  
"SSHHHHH!" Ranma hissed. He took a quick look behind him, then hopped over the wall. Grabbing Ryoga by the arm, he dragged him across the street.  
"Hey, Ranma, what are you doing! You'd better not be trying to--"  
"Okay, Ryoga, listen to me--" Ranma began.  
"No, YOU listen!" Ryoga interrupted. "Maybe you don't care about Akane, but I do! I'm going to protect her, and you can't stop me!"  
Ranma sighed. "Okay, are you done now?" he asked.  
"Huh? Uh, yeah," Ryoga answered, a little confused. "Why?"  
Ranma sighed again, then looked Ryoga in the eye. "Ryoga," he said, "I can't believe I'm gonna ask you to do this, but... I want you to sleep in Akane's room tonight."  
"Wha...?" Ryoga looked genuinely bewildered. "What's your game, Ranma? I'm warning you, if you're trying to toy with me again--!"  
"Hey, it's no game!" Ranma snapped. "Right after that Tatsu-whatever guy took off, the old freak grabbed my arm, and told me not to let my guard down for a second." His tone grew serious. "I think he was tryin' t'tell me, that guy is gonna come back sometime TONIGHT."  
A glimmer of understanding shown in Ryoga's eyes. "Oh, I get it..."  
"So," Ranma continued, "I'm gonna keep watch tonight, and hopefully I can get Pop to help out. But if I try to look in on Akane, she'll start throwin' stuff at me. So that means the only one that can protect her while she's asleep..."  
"...Is P-Chan!" Ryoga finished. "Okay, Ranma, I'll do it. Not for you, but for Akane's sake." The two headed back toward the house, and Ryoga turned back to Ranma just before they reached the gate. "But, make sure there'll be hot water where I can get at it!" he told him sternly. "'Cause if that guy DOES come back, we don't want to take any chances!"  
Ranma nodded in agreement, and they snuck back into the Tendo house.

"Oh, come on, Nabiki." Akane eyed her sister incredulously. "You mean you're not worried about that guy at all?"  
The three Tendo sisters were sitting around the table, waiting for their father to return from the celebration out in the dojo.  
"His money was good," Nabiki replied as she bit into a cookie. "So I didn't have any problems with him. But really, what is there to be afraid of?"  
Akane glared at her. "You mean ASIDE from the fact that he's threatened to destroy our house, and he sent a bunch of kids to fight us who killed themselves after they lost! What're we gonna do when he comes back? I really think we should be taking all of this more seriously!"  
Just then, their father rode through the dining room on Genma's back. Genma was in his panda form, and he was waving a brightly-colored sign that read, 'ding, dong, the lech is dead'.  
Akane could only stare in disbelief as they passed through the room. Nabiki casually sipped her cup of tea, then glanced back at Akane.  
"I'm sorry, Sis, I didn't catch what you said. Were you just asking me why I can't take anything seriously?"  
"Oh, my," Kasumi sighed. "I suppose I'd better convince them to go to bed." She got up and left the room, leaving her younger sisters to try to convince themselves that they hadn't really seen what they'd just seen.  
As soon as Kasumi had gone, the door slid open and Ranma entered.  
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed in a scolding tone. "What were you doing out there? Our fathers have completely lost their minds!"  
"So what else is new?" he said with a shrug. "Oh, here -- I thought you'd be worried about him." Suppressing a wince, he tossed a wet black piglet into Akane's arms.  
"P-Chan!" Akane looked at Ranma in surprise. "You mean... you were out there looking for him? Ranma... that was really nice of you."  
Now it was P-Chan's turn to wince.  
Ranma shrugged again. "Aw, I just didn't wanna hafta listen to you all night..." He imitated Akane's voice in an exaggerated squeal. "'Oh, no! P-Chan! Ranma, Ranma! We've gotta go find him before something happens to him!'"  
Nabiki quickly moved her cup as Akane bashed Ranma with the table. After that, she turned on her heel and ascended the stairs to her room with P-Chan.  
Ranma watched Akane leave, then climbed out from beneath the table and clenched his fist triumphantly. "Yes! She's so predictable!" he chuckled. "I was hoping she'd do somethin' like that! Now, I can--" He broke off as he noticed Nabiki staring at him. "Wh... what?" he asked.  
"Ranma..." Nabiki said, "...You're really weird." Taking her cup, she followed Akane's path upstairs to her own room.  
Ranma sat there looking at the stairway for a moment, then turned around and gave himself a motivational speech. "Ahh, who cares what they think about me! They don't know what's really goin' on! I just KNOW that Tatsu-what's-his-face guy is gonna try something tonight, while everybody's asleep!"  
He grinned in anticipation. "Or, while he THINKS everybody's asleep!"

A short while later, the entire Tendo household (plus their perpetual houseguests) had gone to bed for the night. The house was dark, and the only sound that could be heard was Genma's snoring.  
Which, from Ranma's position next to him, was nearly deafening.  
Aw, man! Ranma thought to himself as he lay in his futon, next to his furry father. I can't hear a thing with all this noise! Growing increasingly agitated, he elbowed the large panda sleeping next to him.  
"Pop!" he hissed as quietly as he could. "Hey, Pop! Wake up!"  
The panda continued to snore blissfully.  
"Aw, geez..." gritting his teeth in frustration, Ranma punched Genma in the side. "Wake up, stupid!" he whispered.  
Genma grunted and scratched his side, then continued snoring.  
Man, this is gettin' me nowhere, Ranma thought. Oh well, at least with all the noise he's makin' nobody'll hear me looking around.  
Silently, he crept out of his futon (shooting Genma one last nasty look) and moved over to the window. Opening it with practiced ease, he crawled out onto the roof.  
Moving with absolute silence, Ranma crept across the roof. He made his way to Akane's window, and peered inside. He could see her asleep in bed, with P-Chan tucked in next to her.  
I really hate that little runt, Ranma told himself.  
He tapped on the window lightly. Immediately, the black piglet's eyes popped open wide and he looked straight at Ranma.  
Ranma gave him a quick wave, then ducked away from the window. "Well, at least I know the little jerk ain't sleepin' on the job," he muttered under his breath. He moved to the edge of the roof, and peered out over the yard.  
His gaze swept over the trees... the pond... the gate... the walkway...  
Movement.  
Ranma immediately focused his attention on the shadowy corner near the door. It was dark, and he couldn't make out whether there was someone standing there, hiding in the shadows.  
He watched the spot for about thirty seconds, and saw no further signs of movement. Whatever it was, he'd just caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. It could've just been a trick of the light, or something blowing past in the wind. And there definitely wasn't anything there now.  
But Ranma suddenly had the very unsettling feeling that he was being watched.  
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw no one and nothing else on the roof. He did a quick visual check of the windows and although it was dark inside, he couldn't spot anyone standing behind any of them. Still, the feeling persisted. And Ranma didn't like that at all. He decided to go back inside and have a look around.  
Making his way back to his own window, Ranma slipped inside. Genma was still snoring loudly, which annoyed Ranma even more now as he was trying to listen for possible intruders. Moving through the room like an evening breeze, he tossed a pillow over the panda's face (which at least muffled the noise a little), and stepped into the hallway.  
He took a quick glance around, making sure the doors to Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi's rooms were still shut tight. Seeing nothing else unusual on the upper floor, Ranma approached the stairwell. He crouched down and stuck his head under the railing, looking for any signs of movement before he actually went downstairs. Still, nothing unusual was visible to him.  
As confident as he was in his abilities, Ranma didn't want to take any chances this time. Before going downstairs, he opened Akane's door a crack and shoved the hot-water kettle (which he'd placed in the hall before going to bed) inside the room with his foot. He saw P-Chan's ear twitch as he did so.  
Pushing the door shut again, Ranma turned and headed downstairs, moving perhaps more quietly than he ever had before. He reached the bottom step and peered around the corner, but still could neither see nor hear anything out of the ordinary. And yet, this nagging feeling would not leave him be...  
Ranma crept down the hall, checking each room as he went. He still didn't notice anything strange, and that bothered him even more because his instincts were never wrong. He was sure there was somebody here somewhere, but he should've been able to find them by now! Passing back through the dining room on his return trip, he glanced around and stopped cold.  
The back door was hanging wide open.  
Ranma could only stare for a moment, a whirlwind of thoughts tumbling through his mind all at once. Then, he heard a sound above him... not a loud noise, just a very distinct thump.  
His heart pounding out what felt like about a thousand beats a minute, Ranma dashed for the stairs. As soon as he reached the top, the smell hit him.  
It was a strange, but somehow familiar smell; but it didn't belong HERE. It smelled like a pond overgrown with algae, or like rotten seaweed, or something like that. It reminded Ranma of water, and of decay at the same time. He paused briefly, looking around. If anything it was darker upstairs than it was downstairs, and it took a second for his eyes to re-adjust.  
Then something horrible lunged at him.  
An inhuman scream shattered the silence around Ranma, and a shape emerged from the darkness. Claws raked his back, and he dove down the hallway and rolled into a crouch, then turned to face his attacker. He couldn't quite make it out, but...  
It appeared to have a vaguely human shape, but Ranma could plainly tell that it was anything BUT human. It had long, spindly limbs, and it stood at least two or three feet taller than Ranma. Its skin looked... wet. Long, thin strands of hair hung limply about its face, and the face... Ranma couldn't make out details, but in the darkness it looked more like the face of a frog, or some kind of a fish. Anything but a person.  
Ranma had only an instant to size it up, however, as it immediately lunged at him again.  
He dodged its clumsy swing, but abruptly discovered that the creature was deceptively agile as it caught him with its other arm, throwing him against the wall. Ranma kicked it in the side as he dangled from its grip, and it pushed him right THROUGH the wall, and back into his room. He fell against Genma, who somehow remained asleep.  
Shaking his head to clear it, Ranma looked up in time to see the creature follow him through the hole in the wall. Jumping up, he backed toward the window.  
"Okay..." he muttered. "Let's take this fight outside!"  
With a vicious growl, the creature charged. Ranma ducked under its claws, then got a hold of its midsection and flipped it. It smashed through the window and rolled off the roof.  
Ranma quickly followed.

Akane was jolted awake by a terrifying sound. It had sounded like a scream of some kind, but it barely sounded human -- and before she could get her bearings, there was a loud CRASH right out in the hallway!  
She looked to the door in apprehension, and P-Chan jumped to the foot of her bed, where he stood staring at the door vigilantly.  
"P-Chan?" Akane whispered to her pet. "What's going on out there!"  
P-Chan gave her what she thought was a strange look, then looked back at the door. He seemed really nervous.  
Gathering her courage and resolve, Akane slid out of bed and moved toward the door, picking up a barbell on her way there.  
Her hand was inches from the door when suddenly there was a very loud noise behind her. Akane looked over her shoulder and saw something horrifying crash through her window and land right next to the bed!  
It looked at her, and Akane gasped involuntarily. It looked like some kind of a giant fish or frog, except it had arms, legs and hair like a person. It hissed and reached toward her with a clawed hand.  
As it leaned over the bed, P-Chan leaped up and attacked its face, giving Akane a chance to react. Not wanting to abandon him, she dodged sideways and made a grab for her training bokken in the corner.  
It occurred to her that this probably wasn't the wisest move she could've made a moment later, when the creature swatted P-Chan into the opposite corner, then turned and took a swing at Akane. She was knocked back against the wall near the door and dropped her barbell, a bit dazed but thankful the claws hadn't scratched her.  
But now she had a real problem, as the creature lunged toward her with frightening speed. And as hard as Akane tried to hide her fear, she was terrified of it.  
Suddenly, the door next to her opened. "Akane?" Nabiki's voice called. "What's going on--!"  
To Akane's horror, the creature swerved sideways and went right out the door. She heard Nabiki gasp, then a low growl from the creature drowned out any other noise.  
Struggling to her feet, Akane rushed out into the hall. At first all she could see was the monster's back, then it drew back its arm and she saw Nabiki. The creature had her pinned to the wall, and blood ran down her arm where its claws had sunk into her shoulder.  
Akane was amazed that her sister didn't cry out in pain. She knew SHE would have. She then realized that she was just standing there staring at the monster, and it was pulling back its free arm to deliver a killing blow! She had to make herself do something!  
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Akane did the only thing she could think of -- she grabbed the creature's outstretched arm and pulled. To its surprise (not to mention her own), she managed to pull it off Nabiki. Unfortunately she didn't know what to do with it after that, and its attention was now focused back on her.  
Claws lashed out, and all Akane could do was cover her head to try to ward off the worst blows. Razor-sharp talons bit into her forearms, and she gritted her teeth against the pain.  
Suddenly, the attack abruptly stopped. With a great deal of apprehension, Akane peered out from under her upraised arms.  
Ryoga was in the hallway. How he'd gotten there, Akane had no idea, but he had the creature's arms pinned and there was a fire in his eyes she'd rarely seen. She noticed that, by this time, her father and Kasumi had also come out into the hall and were staring at the monster in horror.  
"Akane!" Ryoga shouted. "Are you okay!" She managed a nod, but didn't trust herself to reply right then, afraid she'd start screaming or crying.  
"You bastard...!" Lifting the monster off the floor, Ryoga turned and threw it down the stairs, then leaped down after it. The Tendos could hear the sound of a violent and very one-sided battle erupt below them.  
"Akane! Nabiki!" Soun and Kasumi quickly rushed over to tend to their injuries, deep concern evident on both their faces.  
"Akane, what happened out here!" Soun asked as he leaned over her. "What was that, that... creature!" His composure was surprising, under the circumstances. Normally he'd be a complete wreck.  
"...I... I don't know what it was, Dad!" Akane said, her voice breaking a little now that the danger was over. "It just... I heard a scream out here in the hall, and I was coming to see what it was, and then... then, that THING came in my window, and P-Chan -- OH NO! P-Chan? What happened to him!"  
"Shhh, Akane, it's okay," her father assured her. "We'll find him, but we have to take care of YOU first!"  
Akane blinked. She wasn't used to her Dad taking charge of the situation like this, and it made everything else that had happened seem even more surreal. Maybe it was something he'd imbibed...?  
"But, Akane, you say you heard a scream?" Kasumi asked from across the hall, where she was examining Nabiki's injury. "I heard it too, in the hallway, but it didn't sound like anyone I know... what was it? If that monster was outside your room, than that couldn't be it... what could it have been?"  
"This is just a wild guess," Nabiki interjected as Kasumi tended to her shoulder, "But maybe it has something to do with Ranma?" She pointed past them.  
Looking down the hall, the other three realized for the first time that there was a gaping hole in the wall of the Saotomes' guest room.  
"Ra... RANMA!" Pushing her father aside, Akane jumped up and ran to the hole. Looking through, she saw... a snoring panda laying in the middle of the room... and another hole where the window had previously been.  
And no sign of Ranma anywhere.  
"Ranma... he's gone!" Akane cried, turning back to her father and sisters. "Where could he be!"

"TENSHIN AMAGOURIKEN!"  
Ranma ducked under the creature's swing, and delivered a hundred blows to its body faster than the eye could see. The monster staggered, and Ranma did a backflip, kicking it in the chin as he went. He landed a few feet away from it, ready for anything else it had to dish out.  
Which couldn't be very much more. It had been a long fight and the monster was incredibly strong, but Ranma knew he was wearing it down. It told in every movement the creature made, becoming more sluggish and labored as the minutes passed. He knew victory was his; now all he had to worry about was finding out exactly what the hell this thing even WAS.  
Snarling as if to tell Ranma it wasn't through yet, the monster lowered its head and prepared to charge him again. Ranma tensed, ready to deliver the finishing blow, but just then he was interrupted by an enraged shout from inside the house.  
"SHI CHI HOKOUDAN!" A blast of green fire abruptly tore through the nearest wall. Ranma could see the sillhouette of a second monster inside it, and the blast caught the first creature in its path as well. It knocked both of them through the wall surrounding the yard, and out into the street beyond.  
Ranma blinked in surprise, then straightened up and turned toward the source of the blast.  
"Hey, nice shot, P-Chan!"  
"Shut up," Ryoga growled, leaning against the remainder of the wall.  
Ranma sighed in relief, glad the battle was over. "C'mon," he called to Ryoga as he jogged towards the wall. "Let's go pick up the pieces." He reached the hole made by Ryoga's fireball, then stopped.  
There was some debris in the street outside, but no fish-monsters. Ranma's mood instantly became serious again, and he quickly looked up and down the street but there was no sign of their hideous attackers.  
"Crap." He turned back to Ryoga, who had caught up with him. "They're gone. Poof, disappeared."  
Ryoga swore, then looked back at Ranma. "Hey, what the hell were you doing out here, anyway!" he demanded.  
"Huh? Whaddyou mean, what was I doing!" Ranma snapped back at him. "I was fighting that monster, that's what! If I hadn't lured it out here, the house would've been wrecked!"  
"Well, while you were out here playing around, another monster came in and attacked Akane! If I hadn't been there, she'd--"  
Ranma's eyes widened and he raced back inside, leaving Ryoga ranting out in the yard.

Morning came, and customers were already waiting when the doors of the Nekohanten opened for the day. As Shampoo hurriedly waited tables, she was surprised to see Ryoga burst through the door. Ukyo followed shortly behind him, and he staggered across the restaraunt toward the counter in back. Shampoo stopped Ukyo on her way past.  
"What with him?" she asked, nodding at Ryoga.  
"Beats me," Ukyo replied with a shrug. "I met him on the street outside my restaraunt. He came stumbling past just like that, and grabbed my arm and asked me to bring him here. He didn't say why, he just said it was really important."  
Meanwhile, Ryoga was banging his fist on the counter. "Hey! Old Ghoul!" he yelled, causing some of the customers to look in his direction. A petite, pretty girl with straight black hair sat at the counter next to him, sipping a cup of tea and looking at him with a measure of curiosity.  
Cologne popped up behind the counter. "Why hello, Ryoga. Good to see you, boy. Any word on the Tendo training hall? Shampoo told me of your battle yesterday against those delinquents. It seems they were only pawns of a man who cares very little for human life."  
"Listen to me, old woman!" Ryoga exclaimed, then slumped against the counter, clearly exhausted. Shampoo and Ukyo gathered around, also wanting to hear what he had to say.  
"Last night, after the fight... the Tendo house was invaded, by... by two weird creatures of some kind."  
"Creatures?" Cologne repeated, clearly interested. "What sort of creatures?"  
Ryoga shook his head. "Monsters... I've never seen anything like them. ...Kinda looked... like, I dunno, big fish. Or maybe frogs. But... but, they sort of looked human... at the same time."  
Cologne's eyes narrowed. "Fish, eh...? Could they have something to do with the curse of Jusenkyo?"  
Ryoga shook his head again. "I dunno... those things... they, they hurt Akane!" He clenched his fists angrily.  
"What? Akane hurt?" Shampoo repeated. "Ranma is okay, yes?"  
"Akane... Akane and her sister were injured by those monsters!" Ryoga growled. "Me and Ranma fought them off... but, they escaped. After that... Ranma and the Tendos went to the hospital." He sighed in exhaustion. "I spent the whole night... running around, trying... to find this place." He collapsed across the counter.  
"Great-Grandmother!" Shampoo exclaimed, turning to Cologne. "We help Ranma fight monsters! Is okay, yes?"  
Cologne nodded thoughtfully. "Fish-monsters... I wonder what this means." She waved her cane at Mousse. "You there! Duck-boy! Shampoo and I are going out. Watch the restaraunt until we return." In response to his orders, Mousse sulked.  
With that, Cologne and Shampoo headed for the door with Ukyo bringing up the rear. As soon as they were outside, the conversations in the restaraunt resumed their normal course.  
Well, almost.  
"Monsters...?" the girl at the counter murmured thoughtfully to herself. She glanced back at Ryoga, who appeared to be completely unconscious. Then she got up and left the Nekohanten.

"Ready, Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo asked as she pulled her bike around. Cologne hopped up on the handlebars and nodded.  
"Quickly, Shampoo! To the hospital!" She pointed with her cane.  
"Hey, you guys!" Ukyo protested. "How'm I supposed to get there? There's no more room on that bike!"  
Shampoo looked at her with disdain. "Who say anything about us give YOU ride, spatula-girl?"  
Cologne smiled pleasantly. "I'm afraid you'll just have to run along behind us, my dear. Hurry, Shampoo, time's wasting!"  
"Aiyaa! Hold on, Ranma, Shampoo is coming!" The bicycle took off like a streak, and Shampoo jumped it up onto the fence that ran along the street so as to avoid the normal traffic.  
Ukyo could only stand there for a moment, shaking in fury. "Why... that... I'll show HER! Run along behind -- yeah, right!" She looked around briefly, then dashed behind the Nekohanten.

The faces of pedestrians whizzed by in a blur as Shampoo and Cologne sped toward the hospital. They cruised through a busy marketplace and across crowded streets, Shampoo deftly guiding the bike with her martial-arts expertise. Finally, they reached a bridge crossing over one of the many waterways in Nerima, and their destination lay just beyond it.  
"Akane may be rival for future husband," Shampoo told her Great-Grandmother as they passed over the bridge, "But Shampoo still hope she not hurt too badly. Worry about Akane, not as bad as worry about stupid spatula-girl."  
Cologne was about to ask her to repeat what she'd just said in Cantonese, to be sure she had it right, but then she heard a voice below them.  
"HEY! I'm gonna beat you yet!"  
"Speak of the devil," Cologne muttered, directing Shampoo's attention to the water on their left.  
As Shampoo and Cologne were crossing the bridge, Ukyo was paddling her way across the channel on a raft of some kind, using her giant spatula as an oar.  
"Raft look awfully familiar..." Shampoo said as she peered down at it.  
"It's the back door to the Nekohanten," Cologne sighed. "I had no idea that type of wood could float so well."

Ukyo paddled toward shore with renewed determination. She supposed it didn't matter now whether she actually beat Shampoo in the hospital's door or not, as she'd already demonstrated her ingenuity simply by arriving at the same time. Whereas Shampoo had had to take a longer route to cross the various channels and waterways that cut through town, Ukyo had simply made herself a  
raft and gone in a straight line. But, ingenuity aside, she still wanted to be the first one at Ranma's side.  
She was near the shore, and the water was now shallow enough to walk in. Paddling just a bit nearer, Ukyo finally abandoned her raft and ran through the shallows toward the banks. I find a new use for this thing every day, she thought to herself as she sheathed her spatula. No sooner had she done that than she tripped over something in the water, going down face-first.  
She could already hear Shampoo laughing as she pushed herself back up, turning to vent her frustrations on whatever rock had been foolish enough to cross her path.  
And the rock hissed back at her, displaying a row of needle-sharp teeth lining a frighteningly large mouth.  
Gasping, Ukyo reflexively scrambled away from the thing she'd tripped over a moment before. Reaching a safe distance, she looked at it more carefully. It looked like some kind of a big lizard, but nothing she'd ever seen outside a zoo. It glared at her with what seemed like genuine anger, then slid back into the water and disappeared under the bridge.  
"Aiyaa!" Shampoo exclaimed as she and Cologne hurried down the slope from the street above, stopping alongside the thoroughly drenched Ukyo. "Shampoo never see lizard THAT big!"  
"It was a crocodile," Cologne informed them, sounding very surprised herself. "It's extremely unusual to see one in a place like this, however. Perhaps it escaped from the zoo, or it could also have been a pet." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "How strange..."

Well, I guess I won't be getting in any practice for a while, Akane thought gloomily as she looked at her bandaged arms. I guess I should be grateful it's only as bad as this, though. I didn't even need as many stitches as Kuno did.  
Her injuries finally taken care of, she sat on a bench across the hall from Happosai's room in a fairly vacant wing of the hospital. The voices of her father and Genma could be heard within, chanting something. They'd been at it all morning.  
Akane's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, and she looked up to find their source. "Nabiki!" she exclaimed, a relieved smile spreading across her face.  
"Hiya, Sis," Nabiki replied, waving as Kasumi helped her over to the bench, where the three sisters then sat side by side. Nabiki's smile was more reserved than Akane's, but then again, Akane had never known her older sister to express emotion as openly as she did. In response to Akane's questioning gaze, Nabiki pulled up her sleeve and displayed her bandaged shoulder.  
"Oh, does it hurt very much?" Akane asked, her tone one of concern.  
Nabiki pulled her sleeve back down, her expression unchanged. "Oh, come now, Akane. I know and accept that I'm not as strong as you are, but even I can handle a little thing like this," she told her.  
Akane frowned. "Well, I didn't mean THAT, it's just that--"  
"I'm fine," her sister replied with what Akane thought was a more genuine smile.  
She smiled back. "I'm glad."  
"Both of you will have to be careful for a while, you know," Kasumi said, reminding them of her presence. "You don't want to aggravate your injuries."  
Akane laughed cheerfully. "Kasumi, we're okay! It really isn't that big a deal. It's not like I've never been hurt worse than this. We're both fine."  
"But, Akane..." Kasumi was interrupted by a particularly loud chant from Happosai's room, and she looked toward the door.  
Sighing, Kasumi turned back to her younger sisters. "Oh, dear. I'm afraid the sake they drank last night hasn't quite worn off yet."  
Akane snorted. "Nah, they're just fools."  
"What are they doing in there, anyway?" Nabiki asked, indicating the chanting.  
"Well, it's some kind of funeral rite..." Kasumi frowned. "...I think. I'm really not sure exactly what they're doing -- maybe they didn't hear what the doctor said about Grandfather's condition. In the state the two of them are in..." She looked worried.  
Nabiki chuckled. "Go on, Sis," she told Kasumi. "You'd better look in on them. We'll be fine out here."  
Kasumi stood. "You're sure you don't need anything?" she asked.  
"Positive," Akane and Nabiki replied simultaneously.  
Kasumi gave them one last look, then entered Happosai's room.  
"Poor Kasumi," Nabiki sighed without missing a beat. "An old maid before her time." She glanced at her youngest sister. "We can't ever let that happen to US, Akane."  
"Wh... what? How can you say that?" Akane asked in disbelief. "Kasumi isn't an old maid! I can't believe you'd say such a thing."  
"Why? It's true," Nabiki countered.  
Akane opened her mouth to argue, but she was cut off.  
"Akane!"  
Turning, Akane saw Ranma walking down the hall towards them. He stopped in front of the bench.  
"So..." he paused. "They finally got done with you, huh?"  
"Yup!" Akane replied cheerfully. "I'm all fixed up!" She suddenly realized that she'd seen a glimmer of concern in Ranma's eyes, but when she looked back it was gone, replaced by his usual arrogance.  
"Well, good," Ranma replied. "Maybe now, this'll teach you not to mess with dangerous things like monsters 'n' stuff."  
"WHAT? What's that supposed to mean!" Akane demanded. "You got hurt too, you idiot!"  
"Ahhh, it's nothin'," Ranma scoffed, rubbing his back. "Just a tiny scratch." He pointed at Akane's arms. "Nothin' NEAR that."  
Akane bristled. "Why, you..." she began, but was cut off again by a shout.  
"SAOTOME!"  
Now it was Ranma's turn to look up, just in time to see Kuno charging down the hall at him, bokken drawn.  
"Despite the fact that we have worked together toward a common goal, Ranma Saotome, do not think that I have forgiven or forgotten your transgressions against the pig-tailed girl!" Kuno ranted as he careened toward his target. "You cannot resist my righteous fury!"  
"Man, your fury is anything BUT righteous," Ranma grumbled as he stepped forward to get the brief clash over with. As he did so, however, he tripped over Akane's foot (which just happened to be stretched out in front of him). As Ranma stumbled, Kuno's downward swing struck his head and smashed his face into the floor, cracking the surrounding tiles and causing Akane and Nabiki to wince sympathetically. (It also made a really loud noise.)  
The dust cleared, and Kuno stood over his adversary. Ranma lay at his feet with his head embedded in the floor. A look of disbelief crossed Kuno's face, then he grinned triumphantly.  
"Heh... I smote him well." He turned to face the bench. "Akane Tendo, you have born witness to this great day! Come, my love, the villain stands between us no longer! Let us date freely, for what woman could ever refuse so striking and polished a figure as am I." He struck a dramatic pose.  
"But Kuno-Baby, I think I should remind you," Nabiki cut in, "That you don't cut quite such a striking figure right now. You're in a hospital gown."  
Kuno froze, then stiffened. He turned to glare at Nabiki.  
"I must inform you, Nabiki Tendo," he intoned, "That of all the females I have ever known, you are the only one that I have ever truly despised."  
Nabiki flashed him a bright smile. "Why, Kuno-Baby, I'm so honored to have that distinction."  
Kuno turned on his heel and began walking away. He stopped after a few steps, and looked back at Akane.  
"I shall return for you when I am properly attired, Akane Tendo," he announced. "Please retain your innocence and purity until that time."  
"I'll try," Akane said dryly as Kuno departed. Then she turned her attention back to Ranma's smoking remains. "Come on, you idiot, wake up! You're gonna apologize for what you said!"  
Nabiki sighed, leaning back against the wall. "I guess we'll have to face it, Akane... you and I both have really lousy taste in guys."  
Akane blinked, shocked to have heard her sister say such a thing aloud. She was so shocked, in fact, that she wondered if she was simply hearing things.  
"What did you say?" She looked back up at Nabiki.  
"Moi?" Nabiki replied innocently.  
Akane blinked again, then smiled in understanding. She'd never hear an admission like that again...  
...Or give one in turn, she thought as she glanced at Ranma, who was still laying at their feet.  
The brief moment of peace was shattered by a loud CRASH! from around the corner, followed by a lot of yelling.  
As the two younger Tendo sisters looked on, Shampoo and Ukyo came barelling around the corner at breakneck speed, bits of broken glass raining from their hair and clothing.  
"Get outta my way, ya hussy!" Ukyo hollered at Shampoo. "I was here FIRST!"  
"YOU get out of way!" Shampoo shot back, pushing her way into the lead. "Shampoo beat you, fair and square!"  
The two girls didn't see Ranma and ran right over him, trampling his body into the floor. Shampoo was the first to realize what had happened and shot back like a magnet, grabbing Ranma and yanking him out of the concrete in one smooth motion. Ukyo was right behind her, and in an instant they were playing tug-of-war with Ranma.  
"Ranma! Wo da ai len!" Shampoo squealed.  
"Ranma, honey! Are you hurt? I heard there was a big fight last night! I was so worried!" Ukyo told him between tugs.  
"Uuuwwwwwaaaauuuuullluuuaaaauuuuuugggggghhhhhh..." was Ranma's response.  
"Hello, Akane. How are you feeling?" a voice asked.  
Diverting her attention from the wrestling match, Akane looked around. Cologne had appeared a few feet away.  
"Oh, hello!" Akane replied, bowing slightly.  
"What's this I hear about monsters who prowl by night?" Cologne continued.  
Before Akane could answer, the door to Happosai's room opened, and Kasumi emerged, looking anxious. "Ranma! Come here, quickly!" she said, completely oblivious to the fact that Ranma was about to be ripped in half by Shampoo and Ukyo.  
"What is it, Kasumi?" Akane asked, noting the urgency in her sister's voice.  
"It's Grandfather!" Kasumi answered. "He's awake, and he wants to talk to Ranma right away!"  
"Huh?" Ranma snapped back to reality.

Ranma burst through the door to Happosai's room, ready to wring the old freak's neck. But first, he was going to tell them all just who the heck that mysterious guy was, and what those monsters were.  
But Ranma's thoughts came to a screeching halt when he saw the old man. He stopped short, and everyone else plowed into his back as they followed him into the room.  
"Ruh... Ranma... c'mere, boy..." Happosai croaked. He lay on the bed as though he were barely clinging to life, his eyes swollen and bloodshot. Ranma had never seen him in a more pitiful state. He noticed there was no monitoring equipment hooked up, but didn't think much of it.  
"Geez... what happened, anyway?" Ranma asked as he approached the bed.  
"The doctors said he had a heart attack," Kasumi replied, "...But, Father, don't you think that's a little premature...?"  
Soun and Genma sat against the far wall, dressed in ceremonial robes and chanting continuously while rubbing Shinto beads in their hands. There was a large wooden sign between them which read 'Peace be with the soul of Master Happosai', and a photo of Happosai in his panty-raiding mask was also pasted onto it. Candles and incense burned at the foot of the sign.  
"...Ranma..." Happosai croaked again, and the chanting increased. Ranma bent closer to hear what the old man was saying. "It's... about... that... boy... urgh... that boy...!"  
He winced, then went limp. Ranma was too stunned to speak, and the chanting abruptly ceased. The room was silent.  
After a moment, Soun spoke. "Is... is he dead?" he asked.  
"He is... he's dead." Genma answered grimly. The two men looked at each other and nodded.  
"Oh my," Kasumi said.  
Soun and Genma jumped to their feet. "HE'S DEAD!" They shouted out for the whole world to hear. Quickly, they reached into their pockets--  
--And drew out a set of markers, with which they proceeded to deface Happosai's photo, and write obscenities on the sign. Everyone watched in disbelief.  
"HEY, KNOCK THAT OFF!" Happosai yelled, causing all those present to fall to the floor in shock, having nearly suffered heart failure themselves.  
"Aw man, I knew he was fakin'!" Ranma exclaimed, clenching his fist in fury. "All right, old freak, spit it out! What the heck is goin' on!"  
"Yeah, who is that guy anyway?" Ukyo added.  
"And what were those monsters sneaking around in our house last night!" Akane demanded.  
Happosai assumed a posture of wisdom and lit his pipe, as everyone leaned closer. "I'll tell you what I know..." he began, then looked Ranma in the eye. "Listen well, young Ranma, for your future may well be at stake here. Not only your future, but the future of the entire school of Anything-Goes martial arts!"  
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before," Ranma scoffed.  
"WELL THIS TIME I MEAN IT!" Happosai shouted in Ranma's face, nearly bowling him over.  
He resumed his dignified pose, then began speaking in a more serious tone than they could recall having heard him use previously.  
"Before I came to Nerima, I travelled across Japan seeking out worthy opponents, in order to test my Kenpo skills. While in Kyushu I heard of an incredibly skilled youth named Tatsunada Fushin, who was training himself up on Mount Aso. I was curious about him, so I climbed the mountain in order to find and challenge him." He stopped, then looked at Ranma.  
"Ranma. About how old would you guess Tatsunada Fushin is?"  
Ranma scratched his head, confused. "I dunno, sixteen or seventeen, I guess. About my age."  
Happosai nodded, then continued. "I met him at the peak, and he looked exactly the same then as he did yesterday. Green hair, fancy headband, eyes... like a snake." He cleared his throat, then continued. "We fought. He was truly an incredible fighter for one so young... much like yourself, Ranma."  
Ranma was surprised by the compliment, but no one else took notice. Happosai continued without pause.  
"Our battle lasted for hours. I have never met such an opponent -- he fought with such fury, it was as if he were possessed by the spirit of a samurai... or maybe even an oni. Finally, the battle came to a conclusion..." He bowed his head.  
"...And I was defeated."  
Everyone gasped. Not even Cologne could defeat Happosai in a decisive battle!  
"Master... you, you lost! To that boy! But HOW?" Soun stammered.  
Happosai ignored him. "When the battle was finished... Tatsunada Fushin told me that he would spare my life on one condition... that one day, when I had found a worthy successor, he would return... and defeat that person, making my legacy his own." He bowed his head in genuine shame.  
"And you ACCEPTED!" Akane said angrily.  
"Of course I accepted!" Happosai snapped. "I didn't have any choice! He could've killed me -- and he would have, too!" But then he grinned mischieviously. "But I got him back. I showed him." He nodded, his grin widening. "When he turned to leave, I used my final attack and knocked him off the mountaintop to his death!"  
There was a very uncomfortable pause, then everyone heaved a disgusted sigh. "So," Ranma declared, "You took a cheap shot at that guy, and now he's back for revenge. You deserve it, you old freak!"  
"But he was DEAD!" Happosai insisted. "I saw his body with my own eyes!"  
"Well then, your eyes ain't workin' too good!" Ranma shot back.  
Happosai sighed, and continued his story. "Exhausted from my battle, I rested awhile before travelling back down the mountainside. As I was recovering, I saw a huge flash of light, brighter than any light I've ever seen before or since then, flare out before me. I'm sure it could be seen for miles around."  
"Was it the vengeful spirit of Tatsunada Fushin, or an incredible technique that he'd summoned to destroy you!" Soun asked anxiously.  
"Nah, I bet it was just a GOD comin' down outta the sky to congratulate you on your great victory," Ranma snorted sarcastically.  
Happosai continued speaking as if nothing else had been said.  
"When I returned from Mount Aso... I learned that the United States of America had just dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki."

* * *

**Part Three: Ultimatum **

* * *

It took a moment for Happosai's statement to sink in.  
After a long silence had passed, Kasumi spoke up.  
"Excuse me, Grandfather," she told Happosai, "But didn't that happen in 1945?"  
"That's right, my dear," Happosai replied.  
"Oh, yeah, right!" Ranma sneered. "You expect us to believe that you fought the same kid in 1945 who was at Akane's house yesterday? We ain't THAT dumb! He'd be a shriveled old goat like you by now! This guy must be his great-grandson, or somethin' like that."  
Happosai shook his head. "I tell you, it was the same boy."  
"But that's impossible!" Akane insisted.  
"Hey, wait a second," Ukyo interjected. "I don't mean to side with the old lech, but even if this Tatsunada Fushin was somehow an identical descendant of the man he fought in 1945... didn't he recognize Happosai by sight?"  
"That's right, dear Ukyo!" Happosai exclaimed. "It's proof that we fought before! How sweet of you to remember..."  
"That's right, Ranma... he did say something like that!" Akane said, looking worried.  
"No way! I don't buy it!" Ranma insisted, shaking his head. "There's no way that guy could still be around after all these years, and not look any older than ME!"  
"The curse of immortality is not entirely unheard of, Son-in-law," Cologne stated. "There are many legends dealing with the acquisition of eternal youth. I've even heard of a few such cases myself, though very, very rarely."  
"You obviously weren't one of them," Ranma couldn't resist observing.  
"Joke all you want, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, "But be aware that your opponent is very likely far more dangerous than you expected. He already defeated Happosai once, and his skills have had decades to improve since then."  
Even Ranma couldn't brush off a statement like that.  
"Ranma, what you do now?" Shampoo cried, clinging to his arm.  
"Please, Honey, you've gotta be careful!" Ukyo added, clinging to his other arm.  
Ranma looked around the room, and noticed that everyone was looking at him expectantly.  
"Aw, geez, whaddya want ME t'say! I don't even have any grudge against that guy, whatever his name is! This is all the old freak's fault!"  
"But, Ranma," Happosai cut in, "As my successor, you are now Tatsunada Fushin's target! He WILL come to challenge you!"  
"And the succession of the Anything-Goes school of martial arts is something YOU chose for YOURSELF, Ranma!" Genma declared, pointing a finger at his son. "Be a man, and face up to your responsibilities!"  
"Aw, STUFF IT!" Ranma yelled as he drop-kicked his father out the window.  
"But he's right, Ranma," Akane pointed out. "No matter what we do, Fushin is going to come back. We'll have to think of something!"  
"Well then, why don't we just feed him some of your cooking?" Ranma suggested. "Even if that guy really IS immortal, that'd kill him for sure!"  
"QUIT JOKING AROUND, YOU IDIOT!" Akane yelled as she wedged Happosai's breakfast tray into Ranma's mouth. "This is SERIOUS! I don't want to be kicked out of my own house!"  
"And don't forget that that leaves YOU without a home, too, Ranma!" Soun reminded Ranma as he pried the tray loose. Ranma immediately pushed Soun out of the way, and got into a glaring match with Akane.  
"What's the matter, Ranma..." Nabiki asked quietly, "...You're not afraid of a little challenge, are you?"  
Ranma froze. Several seconds passed, and Ukyo waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention, but there was no response. After a long moment, he finally moved, bowing his head.  
Then, he started glowing.  
Happosai grinned.  
"Ranma...?" Akane asked apprehensively.  
"Aiyaa!" Shampoo exclaimed.  
"Oh, boy..." Ukyo murmured.  
Ranma clenched his fist, then raised it to the ceiling.  
"All right, then... if that's the way it's gonna be... then so be it! There's no WAY I'm gonna LOSE!"

About an hour later, the entire group (except for Happosai) could be seen walking the route between the Nerima district hospital and the Tendo Dojo. The colorful procession drew stares from many other pedestrians, especially so because there was a giant panda bringing up the rear.  
"You know, Daddy," Nabiki told Soun, "You should really think about getting a car one of these days."  
Soun didn't hear her as he was busy showering Ranma with pep talk. "I'm glad you've decided to fight, Ranma, but remember that you must be careful! There's a lot at stake here, and this Tatsunada Fushin is no ordinary enemy!"  
Ranma ignored him and continued walking with an air of complete confidence.  
"Hey, Ranma!" Akane barked at him. "I keep telling you, you've gotta take this more seriously! If what Happosai told us is really true--"  
Ranma snorted. "Aw, gimme a break, Akane! That old freak was just tryin' t'scare us. I'll betcha anything he made that whole story up."  
"Ten thousand yen versus Ranma's life!" Nabiki called out.  
"Hey, knock it off!" Ranma told her with a glare. "I ain't puttin' my neck on the line here."  
"Au contraire, Ranma dear," Nabiki answered. "If the old man's story IS true, then you most certainly ARE."  
"Yeah, Ranma!" Akane added. "Even if that guy isn't immortal, who do you think taught Hideaki Goda and his gang those fatal techniques!"  
"Well... uh... if that guy taught those kids, he sure didn't do a very good job!" Ranma stammered.  
'Didn't he say that himself?' Genma's sign read.  
"Ranma, honey, if you're determined to fight that guy, you should at least do it on a full stomach!" Ukyo implored him. "That hospital food isn't much better than Akane's cooking. Let's stop at my restaraunt on the way back, and I'll fix you something."  
"What was that?" Akane growled in response to the crack about her cooking.  
"Ranma eat at Nekohanten instead!" Shampoo insisted. "Shampoo have perfect dish, prepare for big fight!"  
"Oh, by the way," Ukyo told Shampoo, "I forgot to mention that there's a duck watching your restaraunt right now."  
Shampoo and Cologne stopped and looked at each other as the rest of the group continued. Then Shampoo got angry.  
"No fair! That low, even for spatula-girl!" She growled.  
Cologne sighed in resignation. "I hope we haven't lost TOO much business since this morning. I'd better go take care of it." She hopped across a nearby rooftop, and was gone. Shampoo hurried to catch up with the others.

Minutes later, Cologne dropped onto the street outside the Nekohanten. She passed quickly through the crowd and made her way inside, where angry voices (along with the sound of a duck quacking) could be heard.  
As Cologne entered the restaraunt, she passed the girl who had sat next to Ryoga earlier, during their conversation about the monsters. Seeing the old woman, she tugged on her companion's sleeve and pointed. A young man of about twenty, with brown hair and broad shoulders, he looked on with interest. They watched the restaraunt for a moment, then the girl gave her friend a questioning glance. He nodded gravely, and they followed Cologne into the Nekohanten.

Having finally arrived home at the Tendo residence, Ranma peered cautiously through the front gate. The bright morning sun shone down on the yard, making it impossible for anyone to hide in the open, and everything within the walls was completely silent.  
Ranma stepped into the yard and took a good look around. He was followed by Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo, and the rest. Everyone was completely alert, searching for any sign of their enemy. Tension filled the air.  
Finally, Ranma shrugged and sat down on the grass. "Aw, there's nobody here," he announced.  
The others milled around the yard, making sure for themselves that he was right. Akane checked the house, then returned to the yard and stopped a few feet from Ranma.  
"You know, Ranma," she pointed out, "Even if everything that old creep said is true, it still doesn't explain those monsters we fought last night."  
"Yeah, I know," he muttered without facing her.  
"And I suppose that doesn't worry you either," she said, glaring at him.  
Ranma turned and looked over his shoulder at her. "What's the point of worryin' about it?" he said pointedly. "It ain't gonna change nothin'."  
"Truer words were never spoken," said a voice at the gate.  
Everyone whirled around to face Tatsunada Fushin as he stepped through the gate and entered the yard. He looked Ranma in the eye with his flat, almost reptillian gaze, and ignored the others completely as they all took up battle stances. He stopped about five steps away from Ranma.  
"I have returned as promised to discuss the future with you, Ranma Saotome," he declared. "We will decide what it holds."  
Ranma glowered back at him. "Did you come here for a fight, or what?"  
Fushin smiled indulgently. "Not necessarily," he replied. "But, first, I think we should be aware of each other's positions. Has old Happosai told you anything of me?"  
"He said some stuff that didn't make much sense," Ranma answered carefully.  
Again Fushin smiled. "And yet, the truth is that I met him atop Mt. Aso when he was just a lad. There's no denying that even then, he was one of the most talented martial-artists I'd ever encountered. That's why I've waited until now to claim my prize."  
Ranma cracked his knuckles. "And what prize is that?" he growled.  
"Well, the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial-Arts, of course. Goda should have relayed that message to you -- he followed all my other instructions to the letter."  
Before Ranma could reply, Akane stepped forward. "Are you saying that you ordered those kids to commit seppoku when they lost!" she demanded.  
"Akane, stay back," Soun pleaded.  
"Why, yes, my dear, that's exactly what I'm saying," Fushin replied in response to Akane's question. "They had disgraced themselves in battle, and besides, they had already served their purpose."  
"'Their purpose'?" Ranma repeated.  
"To weed out the weaklings, for lack of a better term," Fushin sneered. "Alas, it turned out that they themselves were the only true weaklings, while the rest of you carried yourselves quite nicely."  
"You mean..." Ranma growled, shaking with anger, "...That you just threw them at us, to test our skills!"  
"More or less," Fushin replied with a shrug. Then, he fixed Ranma with an urgent stare. "Now, young Saotome, before you charge at me with that vengeful fury in your eyes, let me tell you all a little story."  
"When I was your age -- I mean, TRULY your age -- my father and I were assassins for the Shogun. He had learned that one of his enemies had found a great treasure in China, and was having it brought back by ship. We were to travel to China and locate this ship, then kill the crew and bring the treasure back to the Shogun." Fushin shrugged. "It was a simple enough task, and was carried out just as simply. Afterwords, we found a large chest in the ship's hold. We carried it back to our campsite before returning to Japan. But, that night, out of curiosity, my father decided to open the chest. And do you know what was inside?" Fushin raised his eyebrows and grinned at them. "Fish meat! At least, that's what we thought it was. It must have been something very rare for the Shogun's enemies to want it, so my father and I each decided to try some." He chuckled softly.  
Then he looked at them again, and his flat, predatory stare hardened even more. "Well, just a moment later, my father... changed. He became something else... he was no longer human. A monster, you could say. I was terrified, and I ran to a clearing nearby, and hid amid a cluster of springs until he had gone. That was the last time I ever saw him." He smirked. "And I have not aged  
since that day either."  
"Fish meat that make you live forever? What that?" Shampoo asked.  
"I imagine it was the flesh of a mermaid," Fushin replied.  
"The flesh of a WHAT?" Ranma repeated in disbelief.  
"A mermaid," Fushin repeated. "Surely you've heard the legend, that he who eats the flesh of a mermaid will never die, but live on forever and ever, until the end of time. Of course there's a lot more to it than that. It doesn't work for everyone, and those who do survive often come to curse their immortality."  
"So, then..." Akane murmured. "Those creatures that attacked us last night were..."  
"They were two of my former apprentices," Fushin replied without so much as a hint of regret in his voice. "The mermaid's meat is very unpredictable. Even when you consider the 'ideal' effect it can have on humans, it really isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's ultimately a sort of curse either way. However, I've found a way to turn this curse to my advantage... and that is why I've  
come here."  
"All right, I give up." Ranma said, crossing his arms. "What the hell does ANY of that have to do with us?"  
"It's really quite simple, young Saotome," Fushin replied. "I'm sure you're aware that the world's most powerful martial-artists are also its most ancient. Dedicated fighters who spend decade after decade training their mind and body, seeking a perfect fusion of the two. If anyone ever reached that level, they would be able to achieve ANYTHING. And yet, the constraints of time and the inevitable deterioration of their bodies has always rendered this impossible. But... what if they didn't have to worry about growing old or dying? Wouldn't it then become possible to achieve this perfect level of skill?" He laughed.  
"And so, it is to this end that I have travelled the world, challenging and defeating the champions of every school of martial-arts in existence. When every school, every style, has been laid low... then I shall create a new school. The ultimate martial art, which combines centuries of experience with thousands of individual techniques to forge an invincible style of fighting." He smirked. "Modern warfare will be changed forever."  
"And, lemme guess," Ranma threw in, "Since the Anything-Goes style is only practiced by our two families... it's one of the last ones on your list."  
Tatsunada Fushin smiled. "That's correct, Ranma Saotome. And, as such, you have a choice. You can fight me for control of the Tendo Dojo. Or, you can become my disciple. A boy of such exceptional skill would make a truly ideal first student. Perhaps some of your friends could also join us... that is, if they are worthy."  
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "So... what happens if I fight you?"  
"I admire your spirit, Ranma!" Fushin laughed. "All right, I'll tell you what will happen if you fight me. I will kill you. I will also kill any of your allies who dare to challenge me. This dojo, this house, and everything under its roof will become mine. The Tendo-Saotome legacy will become my own. Your bloodline will end here, and mine will begin anew."  
"Geez, that sounds awfully midieval," Ukyo muttered.  
"Now, wait a minute!" Soun hollered. "You can't do that! Ranma and Akane are going to carry on the Tendo training hall, and it will be THEIR children who become the next generation to inherit it!"  
'Yeah, that goes double for me!' Genma's sign read.  
"But, Ranma will be dead," Fushin pointed out. "And I need an anchor, a place where my legacy can grow. It's nothing personal. This is simply the easiest, and most efficient, way." He gave Soun a nasty grin. "The fact that all three of your daughters are exceptionally beautiful is merely an unexpected bonus for me."  
It didn't take much to send Soun over the edge; the effect Fushin's statement had was akin to squashing a fly with a wrecking ball. "YOU! How dare you come in here and say that! As long as I'm alive, you won't touch ANY of my girls!"  
Fushin's eyes narrowed. "Be quiet, Tendo-kun. It's becoming apparent that I'm going to have to kill at least a few people today, and I'm completely indifferent as to whether or not you're one of them."  
"I don't think he's changed his mind, Father," Kasumi observed. She sighed to herself in annoyance. "Well, he IS older, but I really wish people would tell me about these things ahead of time..."  
Akane and Nabiki were both too busy staring at their oldest sister in utter amazement to offer any comments of their own, and the yard was silent for a moment. Then Ranma snorted in derision.  
"Don't get the wrong idea or nothin'," he told Fushin as he cracked his knuckles, "But I'm not gonna stand here and let you talk about takin' Akane OR her house. It's my duty to stop you." His eyes narrowed. "You think you can beat me, just 'cause you've got a couple hundred years of experience? You ain't the first. And you won't be the last."  
Tatsunada Fushin turned his full attention to Ranma, facing him with a broad grin. "Time will tell, young Ranma Saotome... time will tell."  
The two combatants faced each other, and everyone else in the yard stood perfectly still. Ranma watched Fushin's movements, trying to discern a fighting style or tactic. The trouble was that he didn't move. He just stood there, watching Ranma... probably doing the same thing.  
And I just gave myself away with my stance, Ranma realized. Aw, the hell  
with it. I'm not gonna play his game. With a shout, he lunged forward with a rushing punch. Fushin easily avoided it, but Ranma had expected that. It was the follow-up reverse kick that'd nail him...  
...And Ranma's foot swept through the empty air. Startled, he looked around for his opponent and found he was above him, coming down from his jump with a diving kick. Ranma rolled out of the way, then came back with a quick lunge, aiming to catch Fushin with a punch while he recovered from his landing. But as Ranma's fist whistled through the air, his opponent's head suddenly snapped to the side, and he grabbed Ranma's arm and threw him. How can he be so fast! Ranma wondered even as he was flung into the air, hearing something pop as he travelled over Fushin's shoulder.  
He hit the ground a good three meters away, and his right arm exploded with pain as he landed. Clenching his teeth, he realized Fushin had somehow dislocated his shoulder when he threw him. Akane gasped, seeing his arm hanging limply.  
"Hang on, Honey!" Ukyo yelled as she bashed his shoulder with her spatula.  
"GAAAAAAHHHH! WHAT'RE YOU -- uh." Ranma realized his arm felt fine now. "Er, thanks Uk-Chan." With that, he dove back into the fight.  
"I'll give you credit for your tenacity, Saotome," Fushin told him as he dodged the flurry of attacks Ranma launched at him. "You're incredibly talented for your age." He jumped over the last kick Ranma threw at him and landed on the wall above, regarding his opponent with interest. "There must be some way I could convince you to become my disciple."  
Ranma glared up at him, clenching his fists in frustration. "C'mon, FIGHT me already! I'd rather die than bow down to a guy like YOU!" With a leap, he joined his enemy on the wall and quickly threw another punch at him as he landed.  
This time, Fushin caught Ranma's fist inches from his face, instead of dodging it. His eyes narrowed as he looked into Ranma's. "Poor choice of words, Saotome." he hissed. His free hand tightened into a fist, and Ranma tensed.  
Suddenly the wall collapsed beneath their feet, and the two combatants leapt apart to land on opposite sides of the gap. As Ranma watched, Shampoo jumped onto the wall, facing Fushin.  
"Shampoo will no allow you to hurt Ranma!" she declared, levelling one of her mace-weapons at him. Fushin glowered at her and then, moving with the speed of a striking snake, knocked the weapon from her hand.  
Although surprised, Shampoo recovered instantly and swung her other mace at a downward angle. Fushin feinted sideways, avoiding Shampoo's swing, and struck her in the side just below her ribs. He then snapped around and backhanded her, both attacks taking less than half a second. The force of the blow spun Shampoo around to face Ranma. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide.  
Then, without a sound, she crumpled to the side and fell from the wall.  
"SHAMPOO!" Ranma shouted.  
"I have no sympathy for anyone who would interrupt us, Ranma," Fushin told him in an annoyed tone.  
Ranma simply stared at him for a moment. Then his face twisted in fury, and he raised his hands.  
"MOUKO TAKABISHYO!"  
A blast of energy lashed out from Ranma's hands and engulfed his enemy, tearing the shingles from the top of the wall and completely obscuring his silouhette. When the light faded, Ranma was breathing heavily but Fushin was still crouched atop the wall, although he'd been pushed back several feet.  
Lowering his arms (which he'd raised to protect his face), Fushin grinned at Ranma. "Impressive. That's a very unusual technique."  
"...I... won't... forgive you..." Ranma panted.  
"Son-in-law!"  
A voice interrupted his thoughts of revenge, and Ranma glanced at the street below them. Cologne was there, cradling Shampoo in her tiny arms.  
"Shampoo will be all right, Son-in-law!" she told Ranma. "Concentrate on your battle!"  
"Who are you?" Fushin demanded, adressing Cologne.  
"Listen to me, Tatsunada Fushin!" Ranma shouted, and once again he had his enemy's attention. "Let's take this fight somewhere more private!"  
With that, Ranma leapt from the wall and quickly left the area, vaulting from rooftop to rooftop as he went.  
Fushin looked at Cologne again, then turned his gaze to the Tendo sisters. "Quite an interesting boy," he commented. "I will return." Turning, he followed Ranma's lead.  
As soon as Fushin had gone, the other wall shattered and Ryoga burst into the yard. "Where! Where is that guy!" he shouted, looking around angrily.  
"Ryoga! Over here!" Akane called, waving to him.  
"Akane! You're safe!" Looking relieved, Ryoga ran over to where the group was gathered. "What's happened here?" he asked, noticing the damage. "What did I sleep through!"  
"Well, you see," Kasumi began, "Tatsunada Fushin, the man who defeated Grandfather in 1945, arrived a while ago, and told Ranma that he could either become his disciple, or fight him to the death. He also said that he would take over our dojo, and turn it into his own ultimate school of martial-arts, and that everything under the roof belonged to him, including the three of us." She  
blushed slightly. "Which is very rude, even if he IS older, and so Ranma decided to fight him, and then..." she stopped, noticing Ryoga's blank stare.  
"You don't need to tell him EVERYTHING, Sis," Nabiki interrupted, looking uncomfortable. Then she turned to Ryoga. "The bottom line, lost boy, is that right now Ranma is fighting Tatsunada Fushin somewhere in this city, and if he loses, then Kasumi, AKANE and I--" she emphasised Akane's name for Ryoga's benefit "--will have to become his personal handmaidens, or something  
disgusting like that."  
"WHAT!" Ryoga shouted, his blood pressure skyrocketing.  
"Worry not, Akane Tendo!" Kuno bellowed as he popped up next to them, prompting everyone to jump in surprise. Acting reflexively, Akane punched him. Kuno cleared his throat and continued, completely unperturbed.  
"What villain is this, who insinuates such lechery against so pure and bright a flower as thee! I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, invincible master of the art of Kendo, do swear by my blade that from this day forward I shall protect you from all harm." He drew his bokken dramatically. "That evil brigand may do what he will with these others, but you he will never  
touch, my love."  
"Thank you SO much, Kuno-Baby!" Nabiki exclaimed, grabbing Kuno's outstretched hand as Akane looked on with disgust.  
Kuno blinked, then glared at Nabiki and shook her loose. Then, he grabbed Akane's wrist. "Come, Akane Tendo, let us retreat to my sanctuary where we will be protected from such villainy as--"  
He was interrupted in mid-speech as Ryoga's umbrella slammed down on his head, pounding his body into the ground until, when the dust cleared, only his head and shoulders were visible.  
"Oh my," was Kasumi's reaction.  
"Curse you," Kuno croaked at Ryoga.  
Nabiki shook her head, looking down at the fallen swordsman. "He really is hopeless, isn't he," she observed.  
"That hurt, you know," Kuno added.  
"No matter what that jerk says," Ryoga growled, "I really WILL protect you, Akane! You can count on me!"  
"Thanks, Ryoga," Akane began, "But..."  
"Here we go again," Ukyo sighed. "Hey, jackass!" she hollered, banging on Ryoga's head with her spatula. "Quit standing around, and let's go help Ran-Chan! That guy is too strong for him to handle alone!"  
"And why should I help HIM?" Ryoga demanded, blocking the spatula. "Ranma can take care of himself."  
"Listen to her, Ryoga!" Cologne called from the hole Shampoo had made in the wall. They turned to see her still holding her great-granddaughter's limp body.  
"Oh!" Akane gasped. "But, Grandmother, I thought you told Ranma that Shampoo was okay?"  
"She will be, but it's a miracle," Cologne said grimly. "I'm stimulating her pressure-points. If I weren't, she would've died instantly." Her eyes narrowed. "Son-in-law will be in trouble if his opponent gets in any good hits."  
"But... but, he couldn't be THAT strong...!" Akane argued.  
"It's that old technique he's using, remember?" Cologne explained. "It's obvious that he is the one behind its reappearance. The Shitsume Strike -- the strategic blows he lands, aimed at the right pressure-points, can kill with very little effort."  
"And if he kills Ranma," Ryoga said grimly, "He'll come back... for Akane and her sisters."  
"So nice of you to remember us," Nabiki commented.  
"Well then, what're we waiting for!" Ukyo hollered.  
"But, before you run off," Cologne told them, "You should talk to someone."  
Akane noticed for the first time that there were two people standing behind Cologne. One was a pretty girl with straight, dark hair, who was a bit shorter than Akane. The other was a handsome young man with brown hair and broad shoulders, who looked a bit older than Ranma.  
"Excuse me," Akane said, "But who are these people?"  
"There's no time to explain," the young man said as he stepped forward. "But that man has to be stopped. My name's Yuta, and this is Mana." He indicated his companion. "Pardon me for asking, but... do you have any weapons in your dojo?"

Ranma crouched behind a low concrete wall, listening for his enemy's approach. He heard nothing but the sound of rushing water.  
He'd made it as far as Mikado Dam, and he was sure Tatsunada Fushin would be able to track him there. Ranma's plan was that if he couldn't find a way to beat his opponent in a straight fight, maybe he could find a way to force him over the dam and hopefully out to sea, and out of their hair. The floodgates were closed, but Ranma could work around that problem if the need arose.  
Now, if he'd just hurry up and GET HERE... Ranma thought angrily. Geez, that guy's as bad as Ryoga!  
As if his thoughts gave birth to reality, the concrete wall behind Ranma suddenly shattered outward in a way that could only be caused by Ryoga's 'breaking point' technique. Ranma rolled to safety and turned to face a figure who, except for an outstretched finger, was obscured by a cloud of dust.  
To Ranma's amazement, the dust cloud parted and revealed the figure to be Tatsunada Fushin. He turned and smiled at Ranma, his snake-like eyes narrowed to slits.  
"Hello, Saotome. What, were you expecting someone else?"  
Ranma wiped the look of astonishment off his face, replacing it with one of determination. "I just didn't know you knew that trick, that's all."  
Fushin laughed. "You'd be surprised at the number of 'tricks' you can pick up, Ranma, when you literally have all the time in the world. I could match you blow for blow, no matter what you tried." He smirked. "There's really only one way this fight can end. Surely you realize that by now." He looked back up at Ranma. "Come on, Saotome. You saw what I did to your little friend back there. The old crone was lying; she's dead." His eyes narrowed. "I've had dozens of chances to do the same to you, but I really hate to waste such raw talent. I'm sure you know by now that I've just been toying with you."  
For Ranma it was like taking a knife in the chest but, remembering his shoulder, he was forced to admit that it was true.  
Fushin continued. "However, in all my travels -- and I've circled the globe many times -- I have to tell you that I've never met anyone quite like you." His grin would have been almost amiable, if it weren't for his eyes... "Yes, it's true. You really are exceptional, and it's a very refreshing thing to find. So many of many of my opponents really didn't know what they were doing. They didn't understand what it was all about. But, you... it's in your very blood! It's a part of you, just like eating and sleeping! Maybe even more so!" He lowered his gaze and shook his head. "Not even Happosai was this good! It would be so easy to teach you what I've learned... you might even teach me a few things as well! I really don't want to have to kill you, Ranma."  
Then he stopped, and slowly looked back up to meet Ranma's eyes. "But if you insist on fighting me, I will. I will kill you. Because I couldn't allow you to stay alive, if you refused to join me."  
Ranma eased into a fighting stance. "Well, then," he drawled, "I guess you're just gonna hafta come over here and do it."  
Fushin scowled. "So be it, then... farewell, Ranma Saotome."  
He took a step forward...  
...And vanished.  
"Huh? What the..." Ranma looked around in confusion.  
And suddenly Fushin was only a foot away, his fist racing toward Ranma's ribs. Surprising himself with his own speed, Ranma turned the blow aside and at the same time swung an elbow at his enemy's head. It was stopped by his forearm, and the two stood frozen for a moment, each having cancelled the other's attack.  
Fushin smiled. "Well met... but time will tell."  
They broke, and now Fushin took the offensive. He launched a flurry of punches at Ranma, who dodged or deflected them all. He then countered with a crescent kick, but Fushin caught his heel and threw him on his face. Ranma threw himself backwards as soon as he hit the ground and Fushin's axe kick cracked the concrete where his head had been an instant before. The two combatants backed off and sized each other up, pausing briefly in their furious battle. They realized they had moved out onto the dam itself.  
As they did so, the air was split by the sound of piercing laughter.  
"Aww, geez," Ranma groaned, rubbing his head. "Just when I was thinkin' there was no way this could get any worse..."  
Kodachi Kuno stood pirched atop a nearby signpost, sporting her usual leotard and ribbon. A cascade of black rose petals seemed to whirl around her as she laughed maniacally.  
"You, there!" she pointed at Fushin. "Who are you to be threatening my darling Ranma! Answer me, or you will face the fury of Kodachi, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke!"  
"Another interruption..." Fushin growled angrily, but then he seemed to realize something and suddenly laughed. "Tell me, Ranma, exactly why are those Tendo girls so important to you? I've only known you a few hours, and it seems to me that every female in Nerima is lining up for your attention."  
"I don't just use people like you do, okay!" Ranma snapped angrily. "Go ahead and think whatever you want to, but I ain't that kinda guy!"  
Fushin raised his eyebrows. "Well, well... I've touched a nerve."  
"SHUT UP!" Ranma shouted, lunging forward. But then Kodachi landed between them, and he stopped short.  
"You there!" she repeated, pointing a gym club at Fushin. "Cretin, do you dare ignore me! You do so at your peril!"  
"Kodachi! Get away from him!" Ranma yelled. "That guy's dangerous!"  
Kodachi answered with an ear-splitting laugh. "Dangerous, Ranma darling? How utterly ridiculous! Surely you can't mean..."  
She turned back to Tatsunada Fushin, who was suddenly only inches away from her. His flat, hypnotic eyes stared directly into hers.  
"I'm feeling charitable at this particular moment," he whispered, "So if you disappear right now, I'll let you live for the rest of the day."  
"How... how frightening!" Kodachi whimpered. "But... but, Sir, I only meant to give you this..." she twirled a black rose in front of him.  
Fushin's brow arched quizically, and then a black mist sprayed from the rose, as Ranma had known it would. Cursing, Fushin covered his face while he drew back his free hand to punch Kodachi. As he did so, a chain swung out from behind him and wrapped around it, jerking him backwards. Ranma took this opportunity to dive forward and push Kodachi to the side, out of the immediate line of fire. She fell into the water next to them and disappeared. Straightening up, Ranma watched Fushin struggle with the chain, the end of which was held by Mousse.  
"You! What've you done to my beautiful Shampoo!" Mousse demanded as he hauled back on the chain. Fushin braced himself against his pull, then suddenly changed tactics and grabbed the chain, pulling himself quickly toward Mousse. Ranma realized he'd been temporarily forgotten, and was not about to let the opportunity go to waste.  
As Fushin rushed toward Mousse, pulling the chain tight, Ranma leaped between them. Landing right in front of Fushin, he snapped the chain with a kick. At the same time he stopped him short with an elbow to the chin, then came around with his free hand. "TENSHIN AMAGOURIKEN!" He pummeled Fushin's chest with dozens of punches, driving him backwards and almost to the water's edge.  
Fushin staggered slightly, but quickly recovered his balance. Putting a hand to his chest, he grinned up at Ranma.  
"Well, Saotome ... you're very fast. But keep in mind that I only need to hit you once, and this fight will be over."  
Ranma snapped into his best defensive stance. "All right, then, let's see you do it!"  
Fushin straightened up, but suddenly three small objects shot down and stuck in the pavement between them, as if hurled from above. Glancing down, Ranma saw that they were spatulas.  
No sooner had Ranma looked back up than he and Mousse were joined by Ukyo and Akane, and two others he didn't recognize -- a girl with straight black hair, and another guy that looked a couple years older then himself.  
"Tatsunada Fushin!" Akane's shout surprised everyone, including the man she addressed. Her expression was one of grim resolve -- even courage, Ranma was forced to admit, as she continued. "I'm not just gonna lay down and let you do as you please around here! If you're so determined to kill Ranma... you're going to have to kill me too!"  
Everyone just stood there for a long moment, staring at Akane in amazement. After a long silence, Fushin shrugged. "Suit yourself, Miss Tendo. Apparently your sisters don't share your attitude, or they'd be here too. At any rate, it makes no difference to me." Without warning, he lunged toward her before the others could react.  
"AKANE! WATCH OUT!" Ranma yelled as he dove in to try to stop the attack. Akane seemed to have frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights.  
As Tatsunada Fushin's hand swept through the air toward Akane, the ground abruptly exploded between them.  
"AKANEEEEEE!" Amidst an eruption of dirt and concrete, Ryoga exploded onto the scene, rising to Akane's defense.  
And as he stood, the blow Fushin had aimed at Akane struck him full in the chest. With a strangled grunt, he fell.  
"RYOGA!" Akane screamed as he collapsed into her arms. "NO! Don't die! You can't!"  
A shadow fell across them, and Akane looked up through the tears that filled her eyes. Tatsunada Fushin stood over her, about to deliver the blow that Ryoga had given his life to protect her from.  
Akane shut her eyes, unable to face him.  
And as Fushin reared back for the punch, Ranma's fist crashed into his ribs, breaking at least two of them. He got in several hits in rapid succession before Fushin regained control and, blocking one of Ranma's kicks, countered and threw him into the water behind them.  
But as soon as Ranma was gone Ukyo was on him, battering him with a fury few could match. She bashed Fushin repeatedly with her giant spatula before he got his guard back up, and even after that a stray shot got through and shattered his left kneecap. Fushin staggered, but this threw Ukyo off balance as well and on her next swing, he grabbed her spatula and pulled her toward him. He met her on the way in with a stunning head-butt, and Ukyo was knocked unconscious.  
As Ukyo fell to the ground, Fushin turned back to Akane only to have another mysterious object land at his feet. Looking down, he saw that it was a chicken's egg.  
Then the egg exploded with the force of a grenade. Fushin leapt out of the way in time to avoid most of the blast, but Mousse met him in mid-air and slashed his chest with a scimitar he'd produced. The two opponents landed on opposite sides of the dam, and turned to face each other.  
"You hurt Shampoo, you bastard!" Mousse shouted. "For that, you'll DIE!"  
Fushin chuckled. "Time will tell, boy," he replied.  
The two combatants jumped at each other again, and met in mid-air. Mousse viciously slashed at his enemy, but Fushin somehow managed to avoid the blade, and then threw Mousse into the water below them. He lost his grip on the scimitar as he fell, and it clattered on the pavement near Ryoga's prone form.  
Fushin landed back on the dam, and looked around to see who was still standing. He turned back toward Akane, but was surprised to recieve a heavy blow to the face as he did so.  
Akane stood there, shaking with anger. Her eyes blazed with pure hatred as she looked at Fushin.  
Who only rubbed his chin as he regarded her. "You know, you nearly broke my jaw," he told her.  
"I'll NEVER forgive you for what you've done!" she shouted at him. "NEVER! No matter how long you live!"  
"Dear girl," Fushin laughed, "I've heard those words spoken so many times that they long ago lost any meaning for me. And you won't live long enough to make them any more valid." Akane swung at him again, but he grabbed her wrist. Despite herself, she gasped as his fingers wrapped around her cuts from the night before. Pulling her close to him, Fushin whispered in her ear, and his voice sounded like the hissing of a cobra.  
"It's really too bad I won't be able to find out what sort of children a fiery girl like you would have given me. But, I'm sure your sisters will make up for it."  
"GO TO HELL!" Akane screamed, shoving him away. Fushin's eyes narrowed to slits and he reached out to end her life, but then something whizzed through the air between them, slicing into his arm.  
Both Akane and Fushin were genuinely surprised to see Ryoga struggling to his feet, his eyes burning with rage. "GET... AWAY... FROM AKANE!" he roared at Fushin.  
"Ryoga!" Akane exclaimed, running over behind him. "You're... I thought you were dead!"  
"You survived my Shitsume Strike?" Fushin actually sounded impressed. "The amount of endurance that would take is absolutely incredible! It seems Ranma isn't the only treasure to be found in Nerima!" He chuckled quietly. "I don't suppose YOU'D consider joining me..." He obviously didn't expect the answer to be in his favor.  
And the answer Ryoga gave was even more direct. "SHI CHI HOKOUDAN!" A massive green fireball formed in his hands, and blasted toward Fushin... who was ready and waiting for it.  
"SHI CHI HOKOUDAN!" Fushin deflected Ryoga's fireball with one of his own, and they cancelled each other out. The two combatants were both left panting for breath after exerting such tremendous energy, but the silence didn't last.  
"Tatsunada Fushin!" Yuta's shout interrupted the face-off as everyone turned to him, having forgotten he was even present. "You can't be allowed to continue using people indiscriminately... just to alleviate your boredom."  
Fushin looked at him strangely. "What are you talking about?" he asked quietly. "Who are you?"  
Yuta ignored his question, but faced him with a look of determination. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stop you."  
Before Fushin could respond, Ranma climbed out of the water behind him and flopped onto the dam. Kodachi clung to his back, and immediately began berating him loudly.  
"You devious little tramp! Where have you hidden my darling Ranma! Answer me, or I'll be forced to do something unpleasant!"  
"Excuse me," Fushin told Yuta and Ryoga, walking over to where Ranma lay. "It's time to end this, Saotome. You fought well, but I tire of this game." Pushing Kodachi aside, he grabbed Ranma by the collar and pulled him up to face him.  
"What...?" Fushin stopped short when he noticed that the person before him wore Ranma's clothes, but was a red-haired girl. And that instant's pause was all Ranma could have asked for.  
"Surprise." He grinned. "KATSU TENSHIN AMAGOURIKEN!"  
Ranma pummeled Fushin with no less than two hundred fifty punches in the amount of time most people took for a one-two combo. Spinning around, he finished the job with a roundhouse kick that sent his opponent staggering.  
And as Fushin staggered, Yuta caught him from behind in the strongest grip he could muster. "Quick, Mana!" he shouted. "Do it NOW!"  
Mana picked up Mousse's scimitar and ran toward Fushin, but Akane grabbed her arm just as she pulled back for a lethal swing.  
"Stop it!" Akane cried angrily. "Ranma's beaten him! You can't just EXECUTE him like that, no matter what he's done to you!"  
"You don't understand!" Mana argued, but it was too late.  
Fushin had gotten his second wind, and he immediately used it to hurl Yuta to the ground. Mana shoved Akane out of the way and made a desperate slash with the scimitar, but Fushin avoided it easily and grabbed her arm. Reversing the blade with blinding speed, he drove it through her body.  
Akane's gasp of shock was nearly as loud as Mana's gasp of pain. As she watched in horror, Fushin twisted the blade upward, then hauled up on it, lifting Mana completely off the ground. Blood literally poured out at his feet, and he threw Mana's twitching body aside like a sack of garbage.  
As brave as she was, Akane fainted. Ranma and Ryoga were themselves transfixed by the grisly scene, and were unable to wrench their eyes from it. However, Yuta reacted differently.  
"You selfish bastard...!" he growled, struggling to his feet.  
Without a word, Tatsunada Fushin spun around and struck him in the chest. Yuta choked, then fell limply to the ground, his body as lifeless as Mana's.  
Then Fushin turned to face Ranma, and the flat, deadly look in his eyes suddenly seemed far more frightening. "This is how I should have treated you from the beginning, Ranma Saotome," he told him, his voice low and threatening. "So, you've even been to Jusenkyo. How ironic. Quite a unique and interesting place, but ultimately very inconveniently located. At any rate, you've provided me with the most entertaining morning I've had in decades. And for that I shall thank you, by sending you to that place of which I can only dream." He walked toward Ranma. "To sweet oblivion. In your absence, I'll try to see that your friends and loved ones... well... that they endure a minimum amount of discomfort." He shrugged. "You realize that my plans are imperative, and I can't make any promises. But I WILL try."  
He stopped directly in front of Ranma, who still hadn't quite shaken off the horror of what his enemy had done. He couldn't seem to move, but he was aware that he was being spoken to.  
"...If it's any consolation, I'm sure you won't be lonely in the afterlife... whatever that is. Many of your friends, including Miss Akane, will be joining you directly. Perhaps you'll all be reincarnated together, hmm?"  
A shadow fell across Ranma's face...  
"SHITSUME STRIKE!"  
...And he looked up with a new fury in his eyes. With only an instant to act, Ranma seized on the first thing to occur to him.  
"HIRYU SHIUTEN HA!"  
Fushin's strike was halted as a cyclone erupted around them, and then he was flung high into the air. It seemed to take an awfully long time for the cyclone to dissipate, and when it finally did, he fell.  
And fell.  
And fell.  
And kept falling, past the dam and into the canal in front of it. Which was empty. The concrete below came rushing up to meet him, and when it did, nearly every bone in Tatsunada Fushin's body shattered at the impact.  
As his mangled frame settled to the ground, a sigh escaped his lips. As the air left his body, the spark of life followed quickly behind.

Exhausted, Ranma made his way to the edge of the dam and peered over the side. Seeing his enemy's broken body lying far below, he slumped to his knees. He felt numb, and was lost in his thoughts for a long moment, until he heard someone cough next to him.  
Glancing over, he saw that Akane was coming around. She blinked several times, then sat up groggily.  
"Wha... Ruh... Ranma? What happened?" Looking around, she saw Mana and Yuta's bodies lying nearby, and immediately covered her face.  
"Ranma... I... that girl, she... it's my fault!" She began sobbing uncontrollably. "It's my fault she's dead! If I hadn't stopped her, then..."  
His feeling of numbness faded, and Ranma's heart began to ache at Akane's grief. He reached out to comfort her, but was interrupted by a voice.  
"So... where is that guy, anyway?" Looking over his shoulder, Ranma saw Ryoga crouched nearby, staring at him with an unreadable expression. In all the confusion, Ranma had forgotten he was there. Then he remembered Ukyo, Mousse and Kodachi, and looked around to find them. Uk-Chan and Kodachi were lying at the edge of the dam near the water, apparently unconscious. Mousse -- or rather, Mu-Mu-Chan -- had just climbed out of the water, and was pruning his feathers.  
"Ranma." Ryoga's voice again interrupted Ranma's thoughts. "What happened to Tatsunada Fushin?" At Ryoga's question, Akane stopped crying and looked around in apprehension.  
"...Oh." The sound of his own voice also reminded Ranma that he was a girl at the moment. Shaking his head to clear it, he pointed to the canal below them. "He's down there."  
Akane and Ryoga looked over the side, and both were visibly shaken by what they saw. Akane turned back to Ranma.  
"Ranma... did you...?" She sounded almost afraid of the answer.  
"I..." Ranma's voice trailed off. "...I didn't mean to... I didn't have any choice...!"  
Ryoga and Akane both stared at Ranma for a long moment. He couldn't think of any further answer for them; there was no way to defend himself when he already stood convicted in his own mind. But suddenly, Ryoga spoke.  
"Hey, look!" Ranma and Akane looked where he was pointing, and were amazed to see Yuta getting back up.  
"But... but, he was dead!" Akane stated. "I KNOW he was!"  
Yuta noticed their reaction, and grinned halfheartedly. "Yeah, you're right."  
"But how--!" Ranma stammered.  
"Well, you see," Yuta explained as he stood, "Mana and I have also eaten the flesh of the mermaid." He looked at Akane. "She'll come back to life, too," he told her.  
"So, that means... that you can't be killed?" Ryoga asked.  
"Not through the usual ways," Yuta replied. "If our heads were lopped off, or our bodies completely burned, we'd stay dead. That's why we were trying to decapitate Tatsunada Fushin... it's the only way someone like him can be stopped."  
"You mean, he ain't dead yet!" Ranma exclaimed, whirling around to look back down at the body.  
And, to his horror, Fushin was looking back at him. As Ranma watched, his enemy's body seemed to repair itself before his eyes, and he stood up. Through the entire process, his eyes never left Ranma's.  
"You're full of surprises, Ranma-Chan," he hollered up at them. "But I told you, I can match you no matter what you do."  
"TAKE COVER!" Yuta shouted.  
Fushin's face twisted with rage. He paused for a moment, gathering his strength, and then released it in one terrible blast.  
"GEKIDO SHIUTEN HA!"  
A dark cyclone gathered around him, and then blasted upward at the dam. Nearby buildings were torn completely apart; it was a miracle the dam itself held. Ranma could think of only one way to avoid the destructive blast.  
"HOLD ON!" Grabbing Akane, he leaped out and away from the dam.  
"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Akane yelled as they rode the edge of the cyclone.  
"TRUST ME!" Ranma responded, and they rode the funnel's edge down to a surprisingly soft landing in the canal below. The deadly winds quickly subsided, and Ranma and Akane turned to face Tatsunada Fushin, who stood just a few meters away.  
Ranma and Fushin immediately faced off, but Akane stepped in front of Ranma. "Would you stop it already!" she hollered at Fushin. "You've each survived each other's strongest attacks! This fight will never end!"  
"Time... will... tell," Fushin hissed angrily. But then he abruptly stopped, and looked at Ranma.  
"'Strongest attacks'? You mean that's all you have in you, Saotome?" He laughed. "A very impressive arsenal, but..." He turned halfway around, coiling as if to throw a Chi blast at them. "...Try this."  
Ranma and Akane tensed... and Fushin let loose.  
"KAMEHAME HA!"  
A bolt of energy flared out from Fushin's hands, screaming toward Akane and Ranma. Grabbing Akane, Ranma jumped as high as he could and managed to clear the wave of destruction. They landed behind Fushin, who whirled around for another shot.  
But, as Ranma turned around to try for a shot of his own, there was a tremendous rumbling sound. At first he thought it was an earthquake, but then realized...  
"You busted the dam, stupid!" Ranma yelled as the concrete structure crumbled, and millions of gallons of water came crashing down on them like an immense tidal wave. Ranma grabbed Akane's arm and, with as much strength as he could muster in his girl-form, flung her out of the water's path. Then the wave struck, and he and Fushin disappeared beneath the rushing water and were washed away.

Ranma was completely disoriented by the force of the river he now found himself in, and it was all he could do to keep his head above water. He knew they were travelling very quickly, and hoped they wouldn't be washed out to sea. Because there was nothing he could do to stop himself, let alone the water's course.  
After several minutes (each second of which seemed like an hour to Ranma), the river struck a barrier and ceased its forward motion. As soon as Ranma could get his bearings, he looked around. There was another dam in the water's path which was holding it back, though the water level was rising quickly. Swimming to the side of the canal, Ranma climbed onto a low platform just above the rising water. Then he scanned the water for any signs of his enemy.  
There was quite a bit of debris from the dam floating around, and Ranma spotted a couple of Ukyo's mini-spatulas, as well as one of Kodachi's gym clubs. "Hope they got out okay," he muttered to himself. Continuing his search, he was surprised to see Mu-Mu-Chan floating calmly along in the current. Then Ranma heard a high-pitched squeal, barely audible over the roaring water.  
Looking around, Ranma spotted P-Chan across the way, perched atop a floating object. Looking closer, he realized the floating object was Mana!  
"Aw, geez... even if she can't drown, I gotta make sure she's okay," Ranma told himself as he dove back into the water. He reached the floating girl within seconds, and P-Chan hopped onto his head.  
"Hey, watch it, ya little creep!" Ranma barked as he turned the girl over (she'd been floating face-down). "Uh... hey, Miss, are you okay?"  
There was no response, and Ranma sighed. "I guess she's still dead." He gingerly lifted her shirt, and saw that her ghastly wound had disappeared. "She'll probably come around any time now..." he muttered, and P-Chan squeeked in agreement. Mu-Mu-Chan had also swam over to them, and Ranma glanced around to try to figure out a way to get all of them out of this canal.  
As he did so, a log floated past them and Ranma noticed an object hanging from its side. As the log drew near, he grabbed the item and examined it.  
"Hey, wait a second... isn't this Fushin's headband!" he asked P-Chan, who nodded rapidly. "But where the heck is HE?" Ranma scanned the water, his adrenalin level rising as he realized that his enemy could still be lurking nearby. However, he saw no other sign of him -- no body, no nothing.  
Then the log turned around and looked at Ranma.  
Ranma blinked, then dove to the side as the creature lunged toward him, revealing a gaping maw filled with very sharp-looking teeth. "What the hell! Is that a crocodile!" Ranma exclaimed as he pitched P-Chan up onto the bank. Then he dove out of the way as the croc lunged at him again, but found himself up against the dam. The croc came around a third time, and Ranma leaped out of the water and kicked off from the dam, landing back in the water behind the  
large reptile. "Geez, what gives with this thing!" he wondered aloud.  
As if responding to his question, the crocodile dove beneath the water, then erupted back up like a torpedo, aiming straight at Ranma.  
"YAAAH! This is no ordinary croc!" he screeched, barely avoiding its snapping jaws. It came right back up again, and Ranma found himself backed into a corner.  
As the crocodile descended on Ranma, Mana suddenly dove in front of him and wedged Kodachi's gym club into its gaping maw. The croc splashed back down in front of Ranma, and he knocked it off course with a punch to the head. The crocodile wheeled around, thrashing in the water to try to knock the club loose. Then its back arched violently, and Ranma saw a trio of daggers protruding from its neck. Looking up, he saw Mu-Mu-Chan perched on the dam  
preparing another volley.  
And then the floodgates opened, and Ranma grabbed hold of Mana and the platform and hung on for dear life as the water rushed out past them. The crocodile was immediately sucked into one of the gates but, to Ranma's amazement, it threw out its front legs and hung on to the sides, as if refusing to go. The club in its mouth finally gave way, and despite the rushing waters it turned its head to look straight at Ranma.  
And it stared at him with a level of hatred and malice in its eyes that no animal could ever possess...  
...And suddenly Ranma understood.  
And then the crocodile's strength finally gave out, and it was washed through the floodgate and out of sight. Out of sight and out to sea, Ranma added silently.

* * *

**Epilogue: **

* * *

The night sky over Nerima was exceptionally clear, providing a view of every star in the sky. Such views had, for centuries, inspired men to try to reach those stars, and to speculate endlessly as to what sort of worlds may revolve around them.  
But Ranma's thoughts were elsewhere as he lay on the roof of the Tendo house, gazing upward. He thought of training with his father in the yard below; of chasing P-Chan around the house; of enjoying Kasumi's wonderful food over a (relatively) peaceful family dinner. And he thought of what it might have been like to have had all these things taken from him.  
He decided he'd rather not find out.  
Ranma's musings were interrupted by a voice. "Hey, what're you doing out there?" Akane asked from her window, where she stood holding P-Chan.  
Ranma shrugged. "I dunno, just thinkin', I guess."  
"About what?" Akane asked.  
"Y'know... stuff," Ranma answered.  
Akane sighed in exasperation, then spoke up again. "I wish Yuta and Mana hadn't left right away," she said. "I never got a chance to thank them for what they did for us."  
"They ran off sayin' somethin' about finding the 'lost souls', whatever that meant," Ranma replied.  
"Oh, well." Akane sighed. "I guess it's just a good thing that everybody came through that mess in one piece, even Happosai... and especially P-Chan!" She hugged the black piglet, who returned her affection enthusiastically. "He was the real hero of that whole situation, you know."  
Ranma nearly fell off the roof. "What the heck did that little runt ever do?" he demanded. "The only thing I can remember is him sitting on my head while I was tryin' t'fight that crocodile!"  
"I'll have you know he protected me from that monster that came into my room!" Akane barked at Ranma, then went back to cuddling P-Chan. "I was so worried about you..." she told the pig, "...But you turned up again, safe and sound. I'm so happy!"  
"I'm gonna be sick," Ranma muttered.  
"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane snapped. "At least TRY to control your JEALOUSY."  
"Oh, yeah, I'm about as jealous of P-Chan as I am of a pork egg roll," Ranma shot back. "Except I'd rather be wrapped up in cabbage, than have YOU wrapped around me!"  
"That does it! I'm coming out there!" Akane hollered, climbing out the window. But she stopped abruptly on her way out. "Hey, wait a second..." she said, the anger having vanished from her voice. "Ranma, did you see these scratches on the windowsill?"  
"Scratches?" Ranma repeated. "Must be from when that monster climbed in there the other night."  
Akane shook her head. "No way, I would've seen it before now."  
"Well, what's it look like?" Ranma asked.  
"...I can't really see it," Akane answered. "The light's bad."  
"Here, lemme look," Ranma said, moving over to the window. "Hey, it's kanji!" he exclaimed. "Bring your lamp over here, Akane."  
She did so, and Ranma quickly deciphered the symbols carved into the wood.  
When he'd finished, his heart nearly stopped.  
"So..." Akane prompted, noting Ranma's silence. "...What does it say, Ranma?"  
Ranma could only shake his head in disbelief.  
"C'mon, Ranma!" Akane repeated, unnerved by his silence. "What does it say! Tell me!"  
After a long moment, Ranma looked up at her and spoke. "It ... it says..."

"...'Time will tell'..."

* * *

_Ranma 1/2: The Sands of Time  
Written by Corey Smith  
_


End file.
